Elections are a formal process whereby persons are selected for public office. In this way, elections serve as a tool for exercising democracy through representatives, as opposed to direct democracy where groups of citizens make political decisions themselves. They also enable voters to hold selected representatives accountable for their performance in public office.
Free and fair elections are a key to democracy. For elections to be considered free, they need to meet a set of criteria.
Two types of elections are held in Georgia: parliamentary and local self-government. As a result of constitutional changes, from 2025 the president will no longer be directly elected.
Parliamentary elections
The manner and order in which parliamentary elections are conducted is prescribed by the Constitution and the Election Code. Parliamentary elections take place once every four years.
Local elections
Local elections are held in the same manner as the parliamentary elections, once every four years, and are governed by the Election Code.
What human rights violation may there be?
If you are either directly or indirectly being prevented from voting, including if your need to vote at home, at a hospice, or a place of imprisonment is not being accommodated in accordance with the law, or if the elections themselves are not fair, your right to vote and more generally your right to free elections may have been violated.