PACE delegation: “We saw an environment for democratic elections in Georgia”

A delegation representing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) visiting Georgia believes the current environment promotes democratic elections in the country. 

The delegation, which came to Georgia on September 13-14, released an official statement on the PACE webpage that said the group noticed the current environment was "clearly less tense” than the last elections in 2012.

We felt that there was an environment for democratic elections in the country. We saw a pluralistic political and media landscape and a working legal framework,” the PACE statement read. 

The delegation called on all political players to act within the law in order to keep the calm climate, which was "clearly less tense than it was during past elections”.

All parties should focus on the real issues and avoid questioning the election framework as a campaign strategy, as this could undermine public trust in the elections themselves,” said PACE.

PACE expressed hope that all political players in Georgia "would spare no efforts” to pave the way towards building a genuine culture of education based on mutual respect between political forces of opposing orientations.

The PACE delegation came to Tbilisi at the invitation of Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

While in capital Tbilisi the PACE delegation met with Georgia’s Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker and his first deputy, Minister of Internal Affairs, the Central Election Commission chairperson, head of the National Communications Commission, leaders and representatives of parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties running in the elections, representatives of civil society, media and diplomats based in Georgia’s capital. 

A full-fledged 32-member delegation from PACE will come to Georgia prior to the Parliamentary Elections to observe the October 8 vote.