European Parliament will not send election observers to Georgia due to pandemic
The European Parliament has paused many of its activities due to the pandemic. Photo: politico.
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The European Parliament will not send an election observation mission to Georgia for the October 31 parliamentary elections due to the pandemic.
The European Parliament has paused various of its external activities due to the pandemic, including sending observation missions.
Georgia requested the presence of EaP observers in September, promising their safety would be ensured.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze said at the end of August that the Georgian government was ready to charter flights to bring in international observers for the elections.
- OSCE/ODIHR to send 378 observers to monitor Georgian parliamentary elections
- Ruling party MP: int’l observers will be able to come to Georgia for elections, despite travel limitations
The upcoming elections will be held in a different manner – 120 seats in parliament will be distributed based on the votes received in proportional elections, while remaining 30 per the votes received in majoritarian elections.
Previously 77 seats in its 150-member parliament were allocated proportionally, under the party-list system, while the remaining 73 MPs were elected in 73 single-mandate constituencies.
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 OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has decided to limit its missions in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to long-term observation based on ‘a shortfall in the number of short-term observers provided by OSCE states due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel and health restrictions’.
Germany will send 37 observers for Georgia’s October 31 parliamentary elections in the coming days, while the rest will visit the country by the end of September, German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on September 17.
Georgia has drafted a special safety protocol for foreign observers who will monitor the upcoming parliamentary elections in October, Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze stated earlier today.
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.
The European Union (EU) will cut Georgia from its safe country list amid a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the country in the last few weeks.
Georgia has passed into the epidemiological ‘red zone’ as COVID-19 numbers due to the increased daily numbers of coronavirus cases.