At stake in this election:

• 150 seats in the Supreme Council (Umaghiesi Sabcho)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE
• Head of Government: President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE
• Assembly: Georgia has a unicameral Supreme Council (Umaghiesi Sabcho) with 235 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Supreme Council (Umaghiesi Sabcho) 235 members are elected by popular vote.***

*** Of the 235 members, 75 members are elected in single member constituencies, 10 members represent displaced persons from the separatist region of Abkhazia, and 150 are elected by a proportional representation party-list system.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Saakashvili-National Movement
  • Leader: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI
  • Seats won in this election: 36
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: New Rightists
  • Leader: Davit GAMKRELIDZE TOPADZE
  • Seats won in this election: 15
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Labour Party of Georgia
  • Leader: Shalva NATELASHVILI
  • Seats won in this election: 21
  • Seats won in last election: 2
• Bloc: Burjanadze-Democrats
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 16
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Industry Will Save Georgia
  • Leader: Davit GAMKRELIDZE
  • Seats won in this election: 2
  • Seats won in last election: 15
• Party: For a New Georgia / (AS)*
  • Leader: Vazha LORTKIPANIDZE, Elguja MEDZMARIASHVILI
  • Seats won in this election: 57
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Democratic Revival Union / (DAK)*
  • Leader: Aslan ABASHIDZE
  • Seats won in this election: 39
  • Seats won in last election: 58

* The "For a New Georgia" bloc and the Democratic Revival Union were allied with President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE.

Election Note:

• This election was widely perceived as illegitimate due to electoral fraud. Beginning on November 3, 2003, Georgians began demonstrating nonviolently calling for President SHEVARDNADZE to resign. On November 23, 2003, after 20 days of protests, SHEVARDNADZE agreed to step down. On November 25, the Georgian Supreme Court annulled the results of the parliamentary election and called for fresh elections, which were subsequently held on March 28, 2004.

Last Parliamentary election:

• The last parliamentary elections were held on October 31, 1999.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 4,301,000 (2003)
• Registered Voters: 2,343,087 ( 2003 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 2,271,181 (2003)

·         Is Georgia a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Georgia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (26 October 1994)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 17 (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 76 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Georgia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (10 July 2009)

·         Has Georgia ratified CRPD: Yes (13 March 2014)

·         Population with a disability: 645,150 (est.)