NDI Georgia Election Watch: foundations for democratic elections in place, challenges remain
NDI President Derek Mitchell has spoken in relation to findings of the report. Photo via fcchk.org.
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Foundations for democratic elections are in place in Georgia for the upcoming voting for the parliament in October, however challenges in public confidence in the process remain, a pre-election environment report from the National Democratic Institute non-governmental organisation says.
The report, released as Georgia Election Watch, outlines both conditions supporting a robust and credible election process and circumstances creating issues ahead of the opening of polling stations this fall.
The foundations for democratic elections are in place, yet without some demonstrable improvements, a pattern of declining public confidence will continue.
What is needed is the political will to place the integrity of the process over partisan interests," NDI President Derek Mitchell said while commenting on the report.
Issues related to the electoral system, campaigning by parties, the role of media, inclusion and the effects of this year's pandemic are some of the aspects the report goes into in its analysis of the circumstances preceding the elections.
[A]lmost 30 years into independence, Georgia has proved its technical capacity to conduct credible elections [...] Yet persistent issues related to electoral integrity have remained unaddressed, fueling polarization and detracting from public confidence in election outcomes," the NDI release says.
Among the challenges listed in the report are "lax or biased law enforcement", "abuses of state resources and prosecutorial authorities" and polarising environment among candidates and parties during the campaign season.
The authors of the inquiry have said in their findings "leaders and political actors" in Georgia will need to "take the steps necessary to ensure a fair, transparent and inclusive process" in two months' time.
US says National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), other non-partisan organisations help strengthen Georgian democracy.
NDI Georgia will have a new head as the term of Laura Thornton, who took the post in 2014, is expiring. It has not been announced so far who will replace Thornton.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has met with NDI President Derek Mitchell in Tbilisi earlier today to discuss the importance of coordinated cooperation in the election year, the government of Georgia press office reports.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has released the results of recently conducted polls earlier today, saying that people’s trust in state institutions and leaders has declined, and the number of Georgians who evaluate the current government’s performance as ‘bad’ has increased from 49 per cent in March 2018 to 64 per cent today.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has released recommendations ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia. The recommendations are based on an analysis of the work of the electoral administration, the campaign environment, gender and inclusion, media and disinformation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head of the government administration Natia Mezvrishvili told the President of the National Democratic Institute Derek Mitchell that the safety of voters as well as international observers will be ensured at the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and CRRC Georgia have released a recent poll which says that Georgians remain concerned about economic challenges (72%) and, for the first time, Covid-19 (16%). Per the results released by NDI Georgia which were collected between December 17- 24, 2020, 39% of Georgians think the worst is yet to come from the pandemic, and almost half (41%) continue to have reservations with regard to vaccination rollout.