Transparency International Georgia says that political ads for opposition candidate may be illegal
10 opposition parties named former FM Grigol Vashadze as their presidential candidate in July 2018. Photo Grigol Vashadze press office.
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Local NGO Transparency International Georgia (TI) says that political advertisements related to opposition presidential candidate Grigol Vashadze may be illegal.
The NGO says that 10 opposition candidates named Vashadze as their presidential candidate before the 28 October race, however as the Georgian law prohibits the creation of election blocs the nominee was officially registered as the candidate of the United National Movement opposition party.
Several of the opposition parties which support Vashadze anyway, formally registered their candidates and received free time on TV channels for their election ads. The parties either issue the election ads of Vashadze or end such clips with a picture of Vashadze and his election number,” the NGO says.
TI Georgia has called upon the State Audit Office to show interest in the issue and take appropriate measures.
The opposition coalition "Civil Movement - Unity is Power" has presented United National Movement member Grigol Vashadze, ex-Foreign Affairs minister under the Saakashvili government during 2008-2012, as their presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.
39 million GEL ($16 million) has been allocated from the state budget for the upcoming presidential elections in Georgia which will be held in autumn.
The Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed parliament-approved amendments for the state financing of political parties, which means the changes have come into play.
The number of political parties to receive state funding after last month’s Parliamentary Elections will increase from 11 to 20, which will cost about $4 million (9.8 million GEL) from the state budget annually.
Transparency International Georgia has studied the entrepreneurial activities of 50 members of Tbilisi city council, revealing 10 officials have incompletely declared the business activities of themselves or their family members, six members have not transferred their stake in a private company to another person, while one occupies the position of director in a private company.
Transparency International Georgia reports that 29 out of 64 ministers and deputy ministers have business interests and have not completed asset declarations required by the law this year.
Ruling party MP and Vice Parliament Speaker Gia Volski says that the recent poll of Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia), which says there is a ‘clan’ controlling the court system and that the Prosecutor’s Office ‘fully or partially’ serves the interests of the Georgian Dream, is ‘incorrect and absurd.’