12 local NGOs urge gov’t to act to reduce coronavirus risks during elections
NGOs say that it will be impossible to avoid mass gathering of people during the election period and on election day. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Twelve local NGOs have urged the Georgian government to inform people about the decisions it may make to ensure the safe conduct of the October 31 parliamentary elections amid a serious increase in coronavirus cases.
The NGOs say that to respond to the challenge properly the government should:
- Expand the Crisis Council (created by the government to respond to coronavirus challenges) and allow political parties, NGOs and the public defender to participate in meetings
- Develop a plan to manage the coronavirus outbreak with various spread rate scenarios
- Define the rate and severity of the epidemic and the number of people infected by the coronavirus that would necessitate the declaration of a state of emergency, which would postpone the elections and impose restrictions.
PM Gakharia: no state of emergency will be declared, economy won’t be stopped
The government says that there are no grounds to postpone the elections at this time.
Georgia has reported 1,194 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours and 60 of them are medical workers, says Head of the National Disease Control Centre Amiran Gamkrelidze.
Georgia has reported 1,194 new cases of coronavirus and 15 deaths in the past 24 hours. Capital Tbilisi and Imereti region in the country’s west are on top of the list with 425 and 372 new cases respectively.
Georgian epidemiologists say that daily coronavirus cases in Georgia may peak in the middle of November.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that the government has no plans to declare a state of emergency or implement any other systemic restrictions amid the serious growth of coronavirus cases in Georgia. He said that the recent surge in the new infections was ‘absolutely expected’ and the government has taken ‘all measures’ to get prepared for a second wave of coronavirus.
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.