Author

  • Levan Kakhishvili is a Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) and a doctoral fellow at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS) in Germany. Since October 2018, Mr. Kakhishvili is a DAAD scholar pursuing his doctoral research on political party competition in post-Soviet hybrid regimes. His field of expertise includes democratization, political parties, Georgia’s foreign policy with a focus on Georgian-Russian relations, and issues related to national identity, ethnic minorities and nationalism. Mr. Kakhishvili has obtained two Master’s degrees: MSc in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford, St Antony’s College and MSocSc in Transformation in South Caucasus from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. During 2015-2018, as an invited lecturer, he has taught various courses related to political science at the International Black Sea University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.

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13/05/2022 Levan Kakhishvili

Georgia’s Switch to a Proportional Electoral System: How Should Political Parties Prepare for the Possibility of Coalition Governments?

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Author

  • Levan Kakhishvili is a Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) and a doctoral fellow at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS) in Germany. Since October 2018, Mr. Kakhishvili is a DAAD scholar pursuing his doctoral research on political party competition in post-Soviet hybrid regimes. His field of expertise includes democratization, political parties, Georgia’s foreign policy with a focus on Georgian-Russian relations, and issues related to national identity, ethnic minorities and nationalism. Mr. Kakhishvili has obtained two Master’s degrees: MSc in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford, St Antony’s College and MSocSc in Transformation in South Caucasus from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. During 2015-2018, as an invited lecturer, he has taught various courses related to political science at the International Black Sea University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.

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Publish Date:
2022-05-13 13:27:26
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Levan Kakhishvili

Georgia’s transition to a fully proportional electoral system creates a new set of dilemmas for Georgian political parties. In order to avoid the risk of instability, Georgian parties will have to engage in qualitatively different electoral campaigns, coalition negotiations, and show unity while maintaining their own policy profile. This policy brief urges Georgian political parties to start preparations immediately. Based on the analysis of the 2020 electoral campaign materials of the Georgian Dream and United National Movement parties uploaded onto their official YouTube channels, it can be seen that one in four campaign appeals were negative and more than half of those contained character attacks. Parties will need to refrain from such virulent attacks in order to maintain the prospect of future collaborations. Drawing on empirical data and cutting-edge research on coalition governments, this policy brief elaborates a package of recommendations as an early warning for Georgian political parties and other stakeholders.

Keywords: proportional elections; party politics; coalition politics; electoral campaigns; negative campaigning

Also in the following document:

  • Why does the possibility of a coalition government matter for Georgian parties now?
  • How negative are electoral campaigns in Georgia?

Policy Brief #42 | May 2022

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Levan Kakhishvili

Levan Kakhishvili is a Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) and a doctoral fellow at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS) in Germany. Since October 2018, Mr. Kakhishvili is a DAAD scholar pursuing his doctoral research on political party competition in post-Soviet hybrid regimes. His field of expertise includes democratization, political parties, Georgia’s foreign policy with a focus on Georgian-Russian relations, and issues related to national identity, ethnic minorities and nationalism. Mr. Kakhishvili has obtained two Master’s degrees: MSc in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford, St Antony’s College and MSocSc in Transformation in South Caucasus from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. During 2015-2018, as an invited lecturer, he has taught various courses related to political science at the International Black Sea University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.