Ruling party head, UN officials discuss electoral reform in Georgia

Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday said the introduction of electronic voting across the country ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary Elections would “remove all kinds of speculation” by domestic “radical groups” about “rigged elections”.

Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chair of the Central Election Commission of Georgia, said the interim parliamentary and mayoral elections across the country on Sunday had “proved” the “readiness” of the election administration, voters and the public for electronic voting.

Rati Ionatamishvili, an MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the new initiative for introducing electronic voting in elections in the country could cover 90 percent of voters instead of initially offered 70 for the 2024 parliamentary elections, with the remaining ballot papers being instantly digitised and uploaded online after their retrieval from ballot boxes.

Givi Mikanadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the introduction of electronic voter registration and voting in the country starting with the 2024 parliamentary elections was a “qualitatively new electoral system” of a “top standard”, in comments to critical reactions to the initiative by a part of the domestic opposition. 

Speaker of the Georgian parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the introduction of an electronic voter registration and voting system starting with the 2024 parliamentary elections in the country would leave “no room for speculation”.

Aleksandre Rakviashvili, an MP from the Girchi opposition party, on Tuesday welcomed the ruling Georgian Dream party’s announcement on introducing electronic voter registration and voting starting with the 2024 Parliamentary elections in the country, calling the move a “step forward” for ensuring a fairer electoral environment. 

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the ruling team had made a decision on a widespread introduction of an electronic voter registration and voting system starting with the 2024 Parliamentary elections in the country.

The 11th edition of the International Conference of Election Management Bodies, dedicated to electoral technology and combating disinformation, is being hosted by the Central Election Commission of Georgia in the Black Sea city of Batumi on Wednesday.

The topic of Georgia's 2024 parliamentary elections was discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Pia Kauma, the visiting President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Robin Dunnigan, the Ambassador of the United States to Georgia, on Friday said the European Commission’s report that last week recommended the European Council to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status was a “big step” for the country.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said all identification cards issued before 2011, prior to the introduction of electronic IDs across the country, would lose their legal validity.

Preparations for next year’s parliamentary elections in Georgia and introduction of an electronic voting system ahead of the vote were discussed in a meeting between a delegation of the Central Election Commission of Georgia and representatives of the United States Agency for International Development and International Republican Institute in Washington on Tuesday.