**Georgian Dream Proposes Changes to Local Self-Government Elections**
The ruling party “Georgian Dream” is planning to change the rules for local self-government elections in Georgia. These changes would affect how members of municipal councils are elected.
**Previous Agreement**
In 2021, an agreement was reached between “Georgian Dream” and opposition parties within the framework of the “Charles Michel Agreement”. This agreement increased the number of council members elected proportionally and reduced the threshold for electing some members by proportional system. However, it seems that this agreement is not being respected.
**New Proposals**
The draft law proposed by “Georgian Dream” aims to return the 4% electoral threshold for local self-government elections in 2025. This would be an increase from the current thresholds of 2.5% in Tbilisi and 3% in regions.
The number of members elected by the majoritarian system is also being increased. In some areas, two or three council members would be elected by majority vote, while in larger administrative centers, up to five members could be elected this way.
**Tbilisi City Council**
The Tbilisi City Council currently has 10 majoritarian and 40 proportionally elected deputies. Under the proposed changes, 25 members of the 50-member council would be elected by majority vote, and 25 by proportional system.
**Government’s Explanation**
According to the explanatory note of the draft law, the government believes that reducing the number of members elected by majority vote weakened their connection with local voters. They argue that this compromise was necessary to reach an agreement, but the opposition has not respected the terms of the “Charles Michel Agreement”.
Read More @ www.interpressnews.ge