The Central Election Commission (CEC) has reported earlier today that the cases of pressure, abuse and threat on the district and precinct election commission members have increased ahead of municipal elections.
In some cases, there has been an attempt by observers to overstep their authority to stage a provocation,” a spokesperson of the CEC Natia Ioseliani stated.
Ioseliani underscored that such cases hinder the election commission’s activities, noting that it ‘deliberately damages the election process.’
She also said that these kinds of cases intend to damage the body’s reputation.
We call on the election subjects and observer organisations involved in the elections not to go beyond their authority, not to hinder the work of the election commissions, as these commissions should organise the October 2 elections,” Ioseliani said.
The CEC also calls on all local and international observers and media outlets to report on each case and to contribute to the ‘transparency of the process and the credibility of the elections.’
Less than five days are left before the self-government elections in Georgia where over 3.4 million country’s citizens will be able to elect mayors and members of local councils in various cities of Georgia.
A total of 71 local and 33 international organisations will observe the elections while 41 media outlets will be able to cover the race.