TBILISI, DFWatch — The human rights group Freedom House writes in a new report that Georgia is now an electoral democracy.

The group gives Georgia an improved democracy score in its report Freedom in the World 2013, as a consequence of the peaceful transfer of power after the parliamentary election in October, 2012.

It is the score for political rights which is upgraded one point from 4 to 3.

On the negative side, the report notes that “the new government detained some 30 officials from its predecessor, prompting claims of a political witch hunt”.

The report describes the recent election in Georgia as “peaceful and competitive”.


“Yet even Georgia, which experienced its first orderly transfer of power to the opposition through democratic elections, finished the year on a less than satisfying note after the new government quickly arrested some 30 officials of the previous government, raising concerns about politically motivated prosecutions,” the report reads.

Despite this, Freedom House notes that the most positive improvements in Eurasia was the democratic parliamentary election in Georgia and the peaceful transfer of government power.

Despite being upgraded to an electoral democracy, Georgia is still listed as only partly free.