NDI releases recommendations ahead of Georgian parliamentary elections
The National Democratic Institute issued an update bulletin of a report assessing the pre-election environment on October 9. Photo: NDI
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The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has released recommendations ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia.
It’s election season in #Georgia! W/ support from @USAIDEurope & @NEDemocracy, @NDIEurasia has released a #GeorgiaElectionWatch update w/ key recommendations ahead of election day. #DemocracyIs citizens making their voices heard at the polls. #Gvote2020 https://t.co/zXND4IW2L2
— National Democratic Institute (@NDI) October 9, 2020
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.
NDI recommends that:
- Election and law enforcement authorities should swiftly investigate all instances of intimidation and electoral violence, as well as abuse of administrative resources and vote buying, and ensure that timely sanctioning of perpetrators serves to deter such violations in the immediate future
- Political parties and candidates should abide by the law and the Code of Conduct and ensure their supporters do not interfere with the campaign activities of their opponents. Parties should develop internal sanctions and a culture of accountability for violations of conduct commitments.
- Parties should make all efforts possible to provide adequate evidence to substantiate claims of electoral violations, abuse of state resources, or pressure and intimidation, and follow available procedures for seeking redress.
- More concerted efforts are required to ensure a clear separation between party and state, particularly social assistance progrrammes aimed at mitigating the pandemic’s impact.
- The Central Election Commission, the Interagency Commission for Free and Fair Elections, together with other state actors, must continue to ensure that the implementation of recent legal amendments results in genuine public confidence in their work and the electoral process.
- Citizen observer organisations should adhere to the Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organisations and all stakeholders should respect the purpose of genuine, impartial citizen observation.
The analysis is based on interviews with key stakeholders conducted virtually by a team of eight international election experts who are paired with assistants based in Georgia.
NDI will continue to monitor the overall election process virtually until its conclusion and may offer further analysis and recommendations before issuing a comprehensive assessment shortly after the elections.
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.
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 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.
US says National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), other non-partisan organisations help strengthen Georgian democracy.
The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) has presented its second interim report of October 31 parliamentary elections, counting 11 cases of threats and violent actions in September.
The Election Administration of Georgia has adopted a resolution laying out the sanitary guidelines to be observed when the country will go to the polls in parliamentary elections on October 31. People entering the election centre must first sanitise their hands, and will be obliged to wear face masks. Members of the election commission and observers must undergo thermal screening. However, this rule will not apply to voters.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) says in its interim report that the pre-election environment in Georgia ‘is marked by political and social tensions, and economic challenges’ amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Democratic Institute has released its second pre-election bulletin today with recommendations aimed to improve the information environment and ensure inclusion of marginalized groups ahead of Georgia’s parliamentary elections of October 31.
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 International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), an independent not-for-profit NGO, has published its second interim report on social media pre-election monitoring, which identified 66 unofficial, anonymous and false media Facebook pages which have been working during the campaign period to discredit political parties in an organised fashion.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that the United National Movement opposition party (UNM) has ‘revolutionary headquarters’ along with the official election headquarters which is chaired by former Interior Minister, recently released Vano Merabishvili.
Media polarisation is growing in Georgia and reporting is becoming less balanced as voting day for the parliamentary elections approaches, says the second interim election media monitoring report of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
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.