On 11 March 2016, the Venice Commission adopted a Joint Opinion with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) on amendments to the Election Code of Georgia as of 8 January 2016.

The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission positively noted the amendments related to the redrawing of single-member constituencies and to the threshold to elect members of parliament under the majority system. The amendments pertaining to the redrawing of constituencies represent an important step forward to hold elections respecting inter alia the principle of equal suffrage.

Nevertheless, they noted that the Election Code could benefit from certain revisions to ensure the effectiveness of these new provisions, as well as their full compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards.

This activity is part of the Council of Europe/European Union Programmatic Cooperation Framework for Eastern Partnership countries and specifically the project “Electoral assistance to the elections stakeholders in Georgia”.

 Joint opinion on amendments to the Election Code of Georgia as of 8 January 2016, adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections at its 54th meeting, Venice, 10 March 2016 and by the Venice Commission at its 106th plenary session, Venice, 11 March 2016.