According to Freedom House’s annual report on political rights and civil liberties, Georgia received a ‘Partly Free’ status. Georgia has 64 points from a maximum of 100 points. In last year’s results, the country was given the same rating.
The organization measures the degree of freedom in three categories: free, partly free, and not free.
According to the last year’s evaluation, “Georgia holds regular and pluralistic elections, and its democratic trajectory has generally shown significant improvement in recent years. However, oligarchic actors hold outsized influence over policy and political choices, and judicial independence continues to be stymied by executive and legislative interests.”
Georgia’s individual evaluation for the year 2018 will be available soon.
The significance of the constitutional reforms and harsh criticism from the opposition is also mentioned in the report.
"The ruling Georgian Dream party recently pushed through constitutional amendments that—combined with the financial backing of its reclusive billionaire patron—will make an effective challenge by the fractured opposition in future elections even more unlikely, potentially cementing the party’s control for years to come,” reads the statement.
Freedom House also mentions the case of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who was kidnapped from Georgian territory in May 2017, and notes that the kidnappers were allegedly speaking in Georgian, raising questions that the Georgian government was involved in the abduction.