Georgia: Human Rights

The constitution of Georgia provides for an executive branch that reports to the prime minister, a unicameral parliament, and a separate judiciary. The government is accountable to parliament. The president is the head of state and commander-in-chief. The 2012 parliamentary election, which marked the first democratic transfer of power since the country's independence, resulted in unprecedented 12-month cohabitation between the new prime minister and sitting president, who belonged to different political parties. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) concluded the October 27 presidential election "was efficiently administered, transparent and took place in an amicable and constructive environment. Fundamental freedoms of expression, movement, and assembly were respected and candidates were able to campaign without restriction. The campaign environment was without major irregularities." While the election results reflected the will of the people, observers raised several concerns, including allegations of political pressure at the local level, inconsistent application of the election code, and limited oversight of campaign finance violations. Security forces reported to civilian authorities. There were reports that security forces committed human rights abuses.