Ruling party says opposition may prevent people from voting in Sunday’s by-elections
The ruling party says that the opposition has plans to send 5,000 activists to Zugdidi on election day on Sunday to discredit the election process through provocations. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Members of the Georgian Dream ruling party say that the United National Movement (UNM) and its allied parties may prevent people from voting in Zugdidi, in western Georgia, if they send hundreds of their activists there.
We have already requested observing organisations to pay particular attention to Zugdidi and, if it is possible, prevent the influx of a large number of opposition activists there, who may stand at polling stations and prevent people from voting,” Vice Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili said today.
She stated that the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) and the country’s Interior Ministry will do their utmost to fulfil their duties on the election day to ensure peace and transparency.
However, in the case of provocations are large-scaled, protecting the peace will be a serious challenge for law enforcers,” Chugoshvili said.
The opposition demanded the resignation of the head of Zugdidi district election commission. Photo: 1TV.
Chugoshvili stated that the opposition has created “artificial turmoil” regarding the voters’ lists, claiming the lists were handed out to polling stations earlier than mandatory “to influence the voters’ will.”
The CEC has stated that no violation took place and, as far as I know, observers also confirmed that,” Chugoshvili stated.
The Georgian Central Election Commission has also urged independent foreign and local observes to pay particular attention to the behavior of “certain parties in Zugdidi, who try to discredit the election administration and affect the election process.”
Chugoshvili said yesterday that the opposition has plans to send 5,000 activists to Zugdidi on May 19 on election day, where the opposition mayoral candidate is former first lady Sandra Roelofs, wife of the third President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.
Roelofs and the opposition say that the Georgian Dream government will try to rig the elections and say that they will do their best “to protect the elections.”
The ruling party responds that that the opposition is “losing the race” and they will try to discredit the election process.
A noisy meeting of the Zugdidi District Election Commission took place earlier today, where members of the United National Movement demanded the resignation of the commission head Miranda Meskhi, accusing her of handing voters’ lists to polling stations five days earlier than planned.
Meskhi raised her resignation issue, however, the majority of the commission members did not vote for her dismissal.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said that in Zugdidi and other regions the elections will be held “to the highest standards,” and no one will be able to discredit the process.
Read more about the upcoming by-elections here.
Vice Parliament Speaker of Georgia Tamar Chugoshvili has urged dip corps in Georgia, local and foreign organisations to particularly monitor the by elections in Zugdidi, western Georgia, “as there are obvious signs that the opposition have plans to stir unrest there.”
Georgia will hold municipal by-elections on May 19 to elect members of eight city councils (Sakrebulo) and five municipal mayors, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced today. Polls will open for parliamentary by-elections in the district of Mtatsminda, in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi on the same day as well.
The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) has dismissed allegations of the United National Movement opposition party that voters’ lists were handed out earlier than was planned to Zugdidi polling stations, in western Georgia, which could may have been used to influence voters.
Former first lady and wife of the third President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili Sandra Roelofs has announced plans to run in the by elections of Zugdidi Mayor, in western Georgia.
Two days are left before the May 19 by elections in Tbilisi and the regions, when the public will elect one MP, five mayors and members of eight city councils across the country.
The election office of the Georgian Dream ruling party in the Zugdidi region of western Georgia has released a video to show how the activists of the United National Movement (UNM) attacked an ordinary family in Zugdidi as they refused to host the opposition mayoral candidate, former first lady Sandra Roelofs.