Governmental election department condemns agression in electoral competition

A special department of the Ministry of Justice dedicated to ensuring free and fair elections is condemning the aggressive acts of United National Movement (UNM) towards a regional body of the election administration. 

The Inter-Agency Commission for Free and Fair Elections of the Ministry of Justice released a statement after commissioners met yesterday, which stated it also condemned a constant appeal of UNM to the ethnic origin of citizens involved in the political process.  

The Commission recommended all political parties taking part in the elections not to allow verbal or physical aggression, pressure or any other kind of interference in the activities of the election administration by their party leaders or members. 

Furthermore, the commission advised political parties not to refer to the political or ethnic aspects or ethnic origin of citizens involved in the electoral competition. 

Commission chairperson and Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani said the Government would not tolerate any aggression towards the election administration. 

"The Inter-Agency Commission strictly condemns the aggression that Gigi Ugulava and other members of UNM used against the local election administration in Marneuli. This is unacceptable and all the parties that will consider this kind of action will be strictly punished,” she said. 

"Alongside the investigation process that is ongoing towards yesterday's incident, I call on every party to restrain themselves from interfering the activities of the election administration since our Government managed to ensure confidence, independence and impartiality of the election administration," Tsulukiani said. 

She said, if any party would have a contentious issue, the Central Election Commission would look into the matter in an impartial and unbiased way. 

"Every member of the Inter-Agency Commission condemns unilaterally that some political parties in the process of political campaign are appealing to the ethnic origin of citizens and tries to use the ethnic minority or majority for their political purposes. We call on every political party to restrain themselves of division citizens along the ethnic lines because it would be disastrous for our country,” Tsulukiani said.  

"The fact that Mr. Zurab Chiaberashvili and Mrs. Khatuna Gogorishvili, as well as other representatives of UNM, made accents on ethnic origins in their political struggle and want to demonstrate some types of confrontations as a reality, is not true," Tsulukiani added. 

On June 5, former Tbilisi Mayor and UNM leader Gigi Ugulava and other party leaders Nugzar Tsiklauri and Irma Nadirashvili visited the Marneuli district election commission office, harassed the CEC regional chairman and demanded an explanation whether he would remove UNM’s Akmamed Imamkuliev as an election candidate.

Ugulava accused the CEC representative of having an approach "favourable to the Government”. The UNM members also challenged the Interdepartmental Commission about alleged pressure on theirGovernor candidate for Marneuli district. 

The opposition party argued the CEC did not discuss a complaint against Georgian Dream candidates in Poti and Rustavi, who did not fulfil obligatory conditions about living in Georgia while a similar case against their Marneuli candidate had a "clear political motive” and was "selectively interpreted”.

Yesterday’s Commission sitting coincided with a confrontation in front of the UNM regional office in Zugdidi, Samegrelo district. Relatives of former intelligence officer Paata Kardava, who was murdered in 2008 supposedly by former government officials, gathered in front of the office and demanded UNM did not participate in the upcoming elections. 

The group also tried to enter the UNM office but police did not allow this. 

UNM claimed the protest was "politically motivated” and said the Government supported the incident. The Georgian Dream coalition said their political party was not connected to the incident.