**Venice Commission Warns Against Georgia‘s Election Code Changes**
The Venice Commission has published its opinion on the changes made to Georgia’s “Election Code.” The commission was asked for its view by the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools.
The commission says that the changes were made too quickly and without enough public input. They also think that making these changes just one year before local elections in October 2025 goes against a stable electoral law.
**Changes Favor Ruling Party**
The Venice Commission believes that the new rules will help the ruling party stay in power. They say that this could make it harder for other parties to compete fairly and may even undermine equal voting rights.
**Recommendations from the Venice Commission**
The commission has made several recommendations:
* The changes made in December 2024 should be repealed.
* Rules for dividing electoral districts should be strict and fair, with clear criteria.
* After the next local elections, a neutral body should handle the division of electoral areas.
* Future changes to the Election Code should involve a thorough review of the whole system, not just small tweaks. This should include public consultations and commitments from all parties to follow through.
Overall, the Venice Commission wants Georgia’s election laws to be fair and stable, with enough input from everyone involved.