Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 1 October 2012. The opposition Georgian Dream coalition of billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili won a majority of the seats. President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded his party's defeat.

The elections were held in accordance with a reformed electoral system agreed upon by the government and several opposition parties in 2011. 77 of the 150 seats were allocated proportionally to party lists, the remaining 73 to the winners in single-member constituencies. The new parliament was relocated from the capital of Tbilisi to the country's second largest city of Kutaisi later, in 2012. A new government was also formed following the 2013 presidential election as envisaged by the 2010 constitutional amendments.

Background

Protests

In 2009, opposition parties together held protests to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili accusing him of concentrating power to himself, using riot police to crush opposition rallies in 2007. Protests seeking the president's resignation were suppressed once again in 2011.

2010 constitutional amendments According to the amendments to the Constitution of Georgia passed on 15 October 2010, the Parliament elected in 2012 would have to form a new government after the constitutional amendments entered into force upon the inauguration of the next president, who was to be elected in October 2013. The amendments envisaged significant reduction of the powers of President in favor of Prime Minister of Georgia and the government. According to another amendment, passed on 1 July 2011, the parliament elected in 2012 would be permanently relocated from Tbilisi to the country's second largest city of Kutaisi.

2010–2011 electoral reform talks In November 2010, the United National Movement and several opposition parties launched talks in order to develop a new electoral system. On 27 June 2011, the UNM succeeded in getting a majority of the votes for its proposed electoral system reform, effectively splintering the Group of Eight opposition coalition. Two members of the coalition — the Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM), and the New Rights, as well as two other opposition parties – the National-Democratic Party, and On Our Own — signed a deal with the UNM on a reformed electoral system, envisaging, among other provisions, an increase in the number of parliamentary seats up to 190 (83 majoritarian and 107 proportional seats).New Electoral System Outlined. Civil Georgia. 27 June 2010. Six of the former coalition members — National Forum, Our Georgia – Free Democrats (OGFD), Conservative Party, Republican Party, Georgia's Way, and the People's Party — refused to join the deal and unveiled a new alliance on 8 July, though it collapsed on 6 October.Coalition of Six Opposition Parties Collapses. Civil Georgia. 6 October 2011.

Parties

United National Movement Bloc: Georgian Dream Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia Republican Party of Georgia Our Georgia – Free Democrats National Forum Conservative Party of Georgia Industry Will Save Georgia Bloc: Christian-Democratic Union Christian-Democratic Movement European Democrats Georgian Labour Party New Rights Free Georgia National Democratic Party Movement For a Fair Georgia People’s Movement Tavisupleba (Freedom – Path of Zviad Gamsakhuridia) Kartuli Dasi People's Party Merab Kostava Society Future Georgia Workers’ Council of Georgia Union of Georgian Sportsmen

Campaign Democratic Movement – United Georgia, a radical opposition party led by Nino Burjanadze, which had refused to join the electoral reform talks, was behind the 21–26 May 2011 rallies, which ended with a clash with police, leaving four dead.

On 7 October 2011, Bidzina Ivanishvili, a multi-billionaire businessman and philanthropist, who had formerly been on good terms with the authorities, stirred up the political scene of Georgia by unleashing criticism of the Saakashvili government and announcing his intention to establish a political party and to run in the 2012 parliamentary elections.Billionaire Outlines Political Goals. Civil Georgia. October 7, 2011. He named the Republican Party, led by David Usupashvili, and Our Georgia – Free Democrats, led by Irakli Alasania, among his future partners. In a written statement, Ivanishvili revealed that, beyond dual Georgian and Russian citizenship, he also had a French passport. As a result, the Georgian civil registry agency ruled his Georgian citizenship had become invalid. According to the law, only Georgian citizens can set up or fund a political party. In May 2012, the parliament voted to allow European Union citizens to become MPs. On 27 May 2012, Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream alliance announced the start of the campaign, drawing tens of thousands of supporters in a large anti-government rally in downtown Tbilisi.

Because Ivanishvili was unsatisfied with the format proposed for the country's public TV broadcaster's election debates on September 9 and 18 September, his Georgian Dream coalition refused to take part in them - the country's first such events. Ivanishvili would not debate prime minister Vano Merabishvili and would meet only Mikheil Saakashvili, saying: "I respect Vano, but [debates with him] will not work”.No Agreement on TV Debates, Civil Georgia, 21 August 2012.Retrieved: 14 January 2013 Georgian Dream Snubs Planned TV Debates on Public Broadcaster, Civil Georgia, 31 August 2012 Retrieved: 14 January 2013Merabishvili, Natelashvili, Targamadze in TV Debates, Snubbed by Ivanishvili, Civil Georgia, 10 September 2012.Retrieved: 14 January 2013

Demonstrations

After the screening of a video on Maestro TV and Ivanishvili's TV9 channel, showing torture in a Georgian prison, demonstrators called for Saakashvili's resignation. While the video was labeled as having been made by "politically motivated persons," the national prosecutor's office announced the arrests of 10 people, including the head of the Prison No.8 in Tbilisi,Saakashvili's Statement on Inmates' Abuse Videos, Civil Georgia, 19 September 2012.Retrieved 14 January 2013. two deputies and prison guards. The interior minister, Bacho Akhalaia, resigned, as well as the Corrections and Legal Assistance Minister, Khatuna Kalmakhelidze. Saakashvili said: "Tonight, I tell all the victims of these inhuman actions and the whole nation that the Georgia we have built and we are all building together shall not and will not tolerate such behaviour - in its prisons or anywhere else. Those who committed these crimes will spend long years in jail, as will those who bribed guards to stage these horrors and film them." At a televised meeting later with prime minister Merabishvili, justice minister Zurab Adeishvili, prosecutor-general Murtaz Zodelava and new prisons service chief Giorgi Lortkipanidze,Saakashvili Tasks PM Merabishvili to Oversee Prison System Reform, Civil Georgia, 19 September 2012.Retrieved: 14 January 2013. he called for reforms, saying: "This system, the way it is now, should be entirely abolished." It was, he added, "an emergency" and he ordered that patrol police officers should perform prison duties until reforms were enacted.

Foreign support The foreign ministers of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania arrived in Georgia on 17 September in support of the democratic process, political reforms in the country and Georgia's "Euro-Atlantic integration." They were due to meet with President Saakashvili, Speaker of Parliament David Bakradze, Secretary of the National Security Council Giga Bokeria, unnamed opposition figures and the EU's electoral Monitoring Mission. This followed a visit by the foreign ministers of Sweden and Poland the previous week in order to discuss preparations for the election with unnamed national leaders and opposition figures.

Electoral observers The OSCE electoral observer team's Tonino Picula said on 23 August said his organization's monitors "had seen a growing political polarization in the country. They were particularly concerned by the practice of the State Audit Office of using broad discretionary authority to investigate the legality of individual or party spending and making questionable decisions and imposing harsh penalties without clear or transparent guidelines. The fines levied were disproportionate and apparently being applied in a selective manner mainly targeting one political subject". President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Riccardo Migliori added that "there was little part of Leninism in Georgian electoral campaign, rather than presenting programs, they were trying to destroy their enemies."

Results

Party vote By region Region Georgian Dream United National MovementKakheti 48.05% 47.06%Guria 58.79% 37.33%Imereti 57.87% 37.47%Mtskheta-Mtianeti 62.84% 32.64%Adjara 57.53% 37.01%Shida Kartli 51.48% 42.92%Kvemo Kartli 38.72% 57.05%Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti 38.61% 55.23%Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti 46.45% 48.63%Samtskhe-Javakheti 29.44% 67.03%Tbilisi 68.27% 27.15%Source: Election Portal

By constituency