Can hybrid regimes foster constituencies? Ethnic minorities in Georgian elections, 1992–2012

• Published in: Electoral studies 2014-09, Vol.35, p.328-345
• Main Author: George, Julie A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Elections; Electoral College; Electoral fraud; Ethnic minorities; Fieldwork; Fraud; Georgia; Minority Groups; Political parties; Postcommunist; Postcommunist Societies; Poverty; Socioeconomic status; Voter Turnout; Voting; Voting behaviour; Voting turnout
• ISSN: 0261-3794; 1873-6890
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2014.02.007

Do ethnic minorities in postcommunist regimes vote in systematic ways? This paper examines ethnic minority voting in Georgian elections from 1992 to 2012, examining the causes for ethnic minorities' high electoral turnout and ruling party support. Although some argue that electoral fraud is the explanatory cause, other interests, such as experience of poverty and party electoral strategy, help explain minority electoral behaviour. This paper uses statistical methods to examine electoral fraud, as well as OLS regression to investigate the role of socio-economic factors such as urban density or poverty on ethnic minority voting behaviour. The paper also draws from in-country field research to investigate the party strategies and programs in ethnic minority areas during the 2008 parliamentary election. •Ethnic minorities in postcommunist Georgia vote in predictable ways.•Outcomes in ethnic minority regions indicate decreasing electoral fraud.•Poverty rate is often relevant in electoral outcomes.•Political parties pay uneven attention to ethnic minority constituencies.•The politics of accountability and constituency is emergent, but vulnerable, in the Georgian electoral arena.