United National Movement accused of buying votes for Parliamentary Election
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The country’s leading non-governmental organisation Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) has accused oppositional party United National Movement (UNM) of attempting to buy votes for the upcoming Parliamentary Elections.
Today TI Georgia released a statement that called on the Central Election Commission (CEC) to investigate their allegations and react appropriately if UMN are found to have committed the illegality.
TI Georgia said UNM party member Levan Varshalomidze had approached people living in a slum-like settlement in Batumi, western Georgia, and convinced them to sign a contract.
The contract allegedly stated UNM would build a large apartment block in Batumi and when complete, the apartments would be gifted to the settlement residents for free.
The paperwork stated UNM would fulfil this responsibility step-by-step in the four years after winning this year’s elections.
"The contract doesn’t say anything about what resources will be used to fund the construction,” said TI Georgia in its statement.
The NGO said election participants must motivate citizens to vote for a party’s policies and ambitions and not by material interests.
"This activity by the United National Movement party might be aimed to offering apartments to the settlement residents in return to receive their votes,” said TI Georgia.
The NGO added this act appeared to be a clear signal of "vote-buying” and urged the CEC to take appropriate action.
In Georgia it is illegal for political parties to bribe, gift or buy votes for an election.
The Georgian Election Code states: "From the moment of publication of the relevant legal act announcing elections until the publication of the final results of the elections, the following shall be prohibited: Give funds, gifts and other material possessions (irrespective of their value) to the citizens of Georgia by the election subject, candidates and their representatives personally or through other persons, sell goods to them at a preferential price, distribute or disseminate any goods free of charge (except for the agitation material as prescribed by this Law), also motivate Georgian citizens by promising to give funds, securities and render other material possessions (regardless of their value).”
Georgia’s Criminal Code also prohibited vote-buying.
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