2024 Georgian presidential election

For the elections in the state of Georgia, see 2024 Georgia state elections.

2024 Georgian presidential election

14 December 2024
300 members of the Electoral College 200 electoral votes needed to win
Candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili Party People's Power Nominator Georgian Dream
Incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili Independent

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Georgia on 14 December 2024. Following amendments to the constitution in 2017, this will be the first indirect vote where the president is elected through a 300-member College of Electors rather than a direct vote.

Background

Main articles: Presidency of Salome Zourabichvili and 2024 Georgian parliamentary election

Despite being endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party during the 2018 presidential election and subsequently winning it, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili has distanced herself from the governing party in the following years, which led to the President's inter-institutional conflict with the Second Garibashvili government and the Parliament. In at least two occasions, the Government banned the President from traveling abroad, preventing her from visiting Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and France. In March 2023, the Government announced it would file two lawsuits with the Constitutional Court against the President over her decision to go on an unauthorized visit to Brussels and Paris and over her refusal to sign outright decrees appointing ambassador candidates nominated by the Government, before dismissing the lawsuits several months later. Zourabichvili has increasingly used her veto power against the Parliament, including vetoing bills changing the composition of the National Bank of Georgia, and extending the scope and time limits for covert investigations, amongst other bills, most notably the 'foreign agents' bill.

GD tried impeaching Zourabichvili with no success on 18 October 2023, when the Parliament failed to collect the 100 votes needed to impeach her.

After the GD government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia's accession talks to the European Union until 2028, Zourabichvili called the parliament elected following the 2024 Georgian parliamentary election "illegitimate" and supported protests against the suspension, adding that she would not step down as president upon the expiration of her term in December 2024 until new elections are held.

Candidates

On November 27, 2024, the ruling Georgian Dream nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former footballer and co-founder of People’s Power, as its candidate for the Presidency of Georgia.

Electoral system

2017 Constitutional changes

On 26 September 2017, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the constitutional amendments, which went into effect in December 2018, after the inauguration of Salome Zourabichvili as President. As a result of the constitutional reform, the direct election of the president by popular vote was abolished and replaced by a system of indirect election through an 300-member College of Electors, including all 150 MPs, all 20 representatives from the Supreme Council of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic, all 21 members from the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, and 109 electors representing self-governance bodies, allocated to the parties in proportion to their support received in the local elections. The new electoral system is in place for this election and onwards. The president is elected without prior debate on the Parliament floor through open ballot.

The president will serve for a term of five years and can serve maximum two terms. The eligibility age for the president increased from 35 to 40. The residence requirements changed as well: a presidential candidate has to have lived in Georgia for at least 15 years. However, a candidate is no longer required to have lived in Georgia for the last three years before the election.

Composition of the Electoral College

A group of at least 30 electors is required to nominate the presidential candidate to the Electoral College. Each elector is entitled to nominate and vote for only one candidate. 200 votes are required to elect the President. However, if no nominee manages to secure 200 votes, a second round is held between 2 candidates with the most votes. In the second round, the winner will be the one who will secure more votes than the other candidate.

Delegation	GD	U–NM	FG	SG	CfC	APG	GLP	Independent	Total
Local representatives	54	38	9	4	1	2	1	0	109
Abkhazia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	20
Adjara	13	4	2	1	1	0	0	0	21
Parliament	89	16	12	14	19	0	0	0	150
Total	156	58	23	19	21	2	1	20	300

Date

On 26 November 2024, parliament set the date of the election to 14 December.

Presidential powers

The powers of the president have been limited as a result of the 2017 constitutional reform. The president no longer has power to conduct international negotiations with foreign countries. The president will have reduced powers in wartime, as a decision on the use of the defence forces is to be made solely by the prime minister and it will be necessary for the president to obtain the prime minister’s consent to declare martial law or a state of emergency; moreover, the National Defence Council – a consultative body to the president – is to lose its permanent status and will only be convened in times of martial law. Although the President remains the head of state, the commander-in-chief, and representative in foreign relations, the role no longer ensures “the functioning of state bodies within the scope of the powers granted by the Constitution, as well as losing the right “to request particular matters to be discussed at the Government session and participate in the discussion.”

Under a new law passed in February 2024, the Speaker of Parliament, instead of the president, nominates and opens the competition for the election of the Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and its professional members. Parliament requires a three-fifths majority (90 votes) in the first round to elect candidates. If unsuccessful, a simple majority (76 votes) can be used in the next round, with two attempts allowed. If both attempts fail, the president gains the authority to appoint the CEC chairperson/member. The law also stipulates that CEC members serve a full five-year term, even if elected with a lower quorum.