On October 26, Georgia will hold its first fully proportional parliamentary vote following the 2020 passage of constitutional amendments that allocate parliamentary seats in proportion to the number of votes received by each party. The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party is seeking a fourth consecutive term, running against the United National Movement (UNM), the largest opposition party, and several opposition lists. Although the 2020 constitutional amendments were intended to reduce polarization and level the playing field for the opposition, critics argue that a new 5 percent threshold—the proportion of votes a party must earn to be eligible for a seat in government—will make it more difficult for parties smaller than GD and UNM to enter the government. 

This assessment was last updated on August 26. 

The elections come amid significant threats to Georgian civil society and at a low point for Georgia’s relations with both the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). In May, mass protests erupted throughout the country when the GD government passed a bill requiring nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to register as “foreign agents” if more than 20 percent of their revenue comes from foreign donors, under threat of severe penalties. A similar law that faced significant criticism in 2023 failed to pass. Georgian authorities violently put down the protests, sparking further outcry from the public. In the same period, the government pushed through a new tax law that allows companies to move offshore assets into the country tax free. Critics worry that the law will lead to a flow of illicit money into the country and empower oligarchs with a history of influencing elections through nontransparent campaign financing, biased media coverage, and exerting pressure on voters on election day. The government amended the electoral code several times in 2024, including making changes that weakened oversight over the country’s major election body, the Central Election Commission (CEC), putting election integrity at even greater risk. In response to these and other worrying draft laws, the United States sanctioned GD officials and the European Union put Georgia’s membership talks on hold.

Georgia holds regular competitive elections, and this year’s election is the first vote in which most Georgian citizens will cast their ballots online. However, corruption and political interference in the judiciary are major impediments to democratic governance. Georgian society remains polarized; many government policies are aimed at preserving the power of the ruling party, and a fractured opposition has faced physical attacks in the past. Media freedom is undermined by intimidation and pressure against journalists and a partisan media landscape affected by oligarchic influence.

Georgia has a score of 65 with 100 representing the strongest defenses against digital election interference. Freedom House’s Election Vulnerability Index is based on a selection of key electoral indicators. The score reflects progovernment disinformation campaigns, increased online harassment, and the possibility of cyberattacks. Freedom House has identified the following as key digital interference issues to watch ahead of election day: 

• Information manipulation: Several political actors, including the ruling Georgian Dream party, routinely spread false and misleading information online, which could ramp up ahead of the elections. According to a May 2024 report from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFR Lab), GD pages and other progovernment actors spent over $89,000 to sponsor advertisements painting the protests against the so-called foreign agents law as “LGBT+ propaganda” or a revolution backed by “the West.” Previously, in May 2023, Meta removed a network of inauthentic Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to the Strategic Department of the Government Administration of Georgia. These accounts denigrated the political opposition during the 2023 protests against an earlier version of the foreign agents law. 
• Online harassment: Online harassment is common in Georgia, and activists reportedly faced increased threats during the protests. For instance, during the 2024 protests against the foreign agents law, progovernment actors created Telegram channels that doxed activists. Likewise, several individuals who attended the protests, as well as prominent members of the political opposition, reported that they had received anonymous threatening phone calls. 
• Cyberattacks: A range of actors may have an interest in launching cyberattacks ahead of the elections, which could impact people’s ability to access websites hosting election-related information, such as voting results. Though cyberattacks against human rights defenders are rare, state institutions and progovernment media have faced attacks in recent years. Most recently, in May 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and progovernment media outlets were temporarily unavailable after a hack claimed by international hacking group Anonymous. State institutions have also faced hacks emanating from Russia in the past.

Georgia is rated Partly Free in Freedom in the World 2024, with a score of 58 out of 100 with respect to its political rights and civil liberties; Free in Freedom on the Net 2023, with an internet freedom score of 76 out of 100; and as a Transitional or Hybrid Regime in Nations in Transit 2024, with a score of 34 out of 100 for the country’s democratic progress. To learn more, please visit the Georgia country reports in Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, Nations in Transit, and Freedom House’s Georgia country portal.