Tbilisi City Assembly

Opposition (5)

Tbilisi Party-list proportional representation (1998-2005) Single transferable vote (1991-1998)

The Tbilisi Sakrebulo (თბილისის საკრებულო), is a representative body in the city government of Tbilisi, Georgia. It is also known in English as the Tbilisi City Council or Tbilisi Assembly.

History

Sakrebulos were established as the representative branch of local government not only in Tbilisi, but throughout Georgia, by reforms instituted in 1991 as the country declared independence from the Soviet Union.{{cite web

The municipal councils ceased functioning following the 1991–1992 Georgian coup d'état. The local self-government was only re-established in 1998. The new law "On the Georgian Capital – Tbilisi" was passed by the Georgian parliament. The members of Tbilisi sakrebulo were elected through a fully proportional representation in 1998 and 2002. The Sakrebulo elections gained high importance because of their proximity to the parliamentary elections, with the parties seeing victory in the local elections as a bridgehead for the success in the parliamentary polls. The Tbilisi sakrebulo served both as a platform to challenge members of the very corrupt government of President Eduard Shevardnadze, as well as to pursue private mercantile interests too, with many of its members themselves being noticeably corrupt. The 1998 Tbilisi Sakrebulo elections resulted in the significant success for the opposition, with the ruling Union of Citizens, despite finishing on the 1st place, being unable to secure majority of seats and the opposition Labour Party member Lado Kakhadze being elected to the chairmanship of sakrebulo. However, both in Tbilisi sakrebulo and others, its oppositionist members soon discovered that they did not have enough administrative resources compared to the centrally-appointed executive bodies. Moreover, many of oppositionist deputies were co-opted by the ruling party, and the success of the opposition soon made a u-turn, especially in Tbilisi. Lado Kakhadze himself soon left the Labour Party and joined the Union of Citizens. Therefore, the relative success of the opposition in the local elections did not preclude the ruling party from achieving a decisive victory in the 1999 Georgian parliamentary election.

Composition

The members of the Sakrebulo are selected through a mixed electoral system. Of the 50 deputies, 25 are elected through party lists, while the remaining 25 through single-mandate constituences.

Powers

In accordance with the Code of Local Self-Government of the Organic Law of Georgia, the Sakrebulo exercises its powers to define the administrative-territorial organization of the municipality and its identity, organizational activities, determination of the personnel policy of the municipality, regulation and control of the activities of executive bodies; In the fields of municipal property management, social, amenities and household utilities, land use and natural resources use, municipal territory planning, transport and road economy, accounting, support for innovative development and informatization.

The authority of the Sakrebulo in the field of administrative-territorial organization of the municipality and defining its identity includes:

• Creation and abolition of administrative units in the municipality, change of their borders
• Establishment of local self-government symbols - coat of arms, flag and other symbols and make changes in them
• establish the rules for the introduction of honorary titles and awards of the self-governing unit and their award
• names of geographical objects, Establishing the rule of numbering of buildings in the settlements
• Making a decision on creating, joining or leaving a non-profit (non-commercial) legal entity together with other self-governing units.
• approval of the socio-economic development strategy of the self-governing unit
• approval of measures and programs to be taken to attract investments and support innovative development in the territory of the municipality

Election results

Main article: 2025 Georgian local elections

The most recent city council election was held on October 4, 2025, and the results were as follows: ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Votes ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | % ! scope="col" colspan="3" | Seats ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | +/– ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Government |- !Proportional !Constituency !Total |- | 212,716 | 70.22 | 16 | |- | 30,364 | 10.02 | | |- | 22,649 | 7.48 | 2 | |- | 13,097 | 4.32 | New |

| |- | 3,228 | 1.07 | | |- | 3,083 | 1.02 | New | |- | 8,159 | 2.69 | | |- ! colspan=2| Total ! 302,383 ! 100.0 ! colspan=2| |- |}

Previous election results

2021

Main article: 2021 Georgian local elections

! colspan=2| Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/– ! Seats ! +/– ! Government |- | 193 486 | 40.40 | 12.75 | 29 | 10 | |- | 133 926 | 27.96 | 10.30 | 13 | 8 | |- | 42 596 | 8.89 | New | 4 | New | |- | 17 373 | 3.63 | New | 2 | New | |- | 15 799 | 3.30 | New | 1 | New | |- | 12 337 | 2.58 | New | 1 | New |

| |- | 10 262 | 2.14 | New | 0 | New |

| |- | 7 695 | 1.61 | New | 0 | New | |- | 6 293 | 1.31 | 2.59 | 0 | | |- | 5 575 | 1.16 | 8.02 | 0 | 3 | |- | 4 817 | 1.01 | 2.43 | 0 | | |- | | 9 133 | 1.91 | | | | |- ! colspan=3| Total ! ! ! ! 50 ! ± ! colspan=1| |- ! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout ! ! ! ! ! ! |- |}

2017

Main article: 2017 Georgian local elections

! colspan=2| Party ! Votes ! % ! Seats ! scope="col" | +/– ! scope="col"|Government |- | 205,994 | 53.15 | 39 | 12 | |- | 68,432 | 17.66 | 5 | 2 | |- | 35,586 | 9.18 | 3 | New | |- | 21,775 | 5.62 | 2 | |

| | |- | 13,350 | 3.44 | 0 | New | |- | 12,321 | 3.18 | 0 | 3 | |- | 6,229 | 1.61 | 0 | | |- ! colspan=1| Total ! ! 411,847 ! 100.0 ! 50 ! colspan=2| |- |}

2014

Main article: 2014 Georgian local elections

2010

Main article: 2010 Georgian local elections

2006

Main article: 2006 Georgian local elections

2002

1998

Explanatory notes

References

References

1. Davit Losaberidze. "ცენტრალური და ადგილობრივი მმართველობის სისტემა, ლეგიტიმურობა და ეფექტურობა".
2. (2008). "საქართველო: 2006 წლის ადგილობრივი არჩევნები, დაგროვილი გამოცდილება".
3. (5 July 2002). "Report on local elections in Georgia (2 June 2002)". ACE Electoral Knowledge Network.
4. (6 June 2002). "თბილისის საკრებულო. მისი წარსული და სამომავლო საქმიანობა". Radio Liberty.
5. (2 April 2004). "ლეიბორისტული პარტიის წარუმატებლობის მიზეზი". Radio Liberty.
6. (2008). "საქართველო: 2006 წლის ადგილობრივი არჩევნები, დაგროვილი გამოცდილება".
7. "ქალაქ თბილისის მუნიციპალიტეტის საკრებულოს რეგლამენტის დამტკიცების შესახებ".
8. (6 November 2002). "საკრებულოს თავმჯდომარის არჩევნები ოპოზიციის თანამშრომლობას აფერხებს".
9. (14 June 2002). "მიხეილ სააკაშვილი თბილისის საკრებულოს თავმჯდომარეობას დათანხმდა".
10. (10 December 1998). "Newsline - December 10, 1998".