Georgia’s pre-election environment is ‘normal’, says GYLA

One of Georgia's leading non-governmental organisations has published a report on the pre-election environment in Georgia, noting the conditions are "normal” and the current climate is calm.

On Wednesday the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) published its latest findings of the ongoing campaigning by political parties and individuals in the run-up to the October 8 Parliamentary Elections.

The midterm report was presented to media by the NGO’s chairwoman Ana Natsvlishvili, who said in general the pre-election conditions were normal however recent accusations between political parties was a possible risk factor in the time remaining until the elections.

No particularly grave or large-scale violations have been noted [during the pre-election campaign]. In general, the pre-election campaign is taking place in normal conditions."

However recent events including mutual accusations among parties, create the risk of turning the peaceful conditions into a more polarised and tense pre-election campaign. In these circumstances it is very important to see state agencies act with full adherence to the principle of political neutrality and adequately react to every case of violation," said Natsvlishvili.

The NGO offered recommendations, aimed mainly at law enforcement agencies and the Inter-Agency Commission established for ensuring free and fair elections.

Established in 1994, GYLA unites independent lawyers working on matters of rule of law and justice in Georgia, studying legislative and judicial developments and outlining recommendations to stage agencies.