Central Election Commission reports on abusive statements, threats against district, precinct commission members
A total of 71 local and 33 international organisations will observe the elections while 41 media outlets will be able to cover the race. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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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.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says opposition United National Movement (UNM) party members in regions are acting in a destructive and provocative manner. Ruling party MP Irakli Chikovani said at a news briefing earlier today that for several days now the UNM representatives have been staging provocations to ‘artificially damage the peaceful and calm election environment’ in various regions.
Besarion Bendeliani, opposition For Georgia party mayor candidate in Tsageri claims his car has been shot at last night. "I went out and saw that my car was damaged, [it was] shot at. There was no sound [although] it is a very densely populated place", Bendeliani said. He connects the assault with his political activities.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili condemns any form of violence and intimidation ahead of the October 2 municipal elections. Garibashvili, who is attending the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, wrote on Facebook that violence and intimidation ‘is unacceptable from any person, group and party’.
Police have detained 28-year-old Davit Dautashvili for stabbing two supporters of the opposition United National Movement party in Georgia’s eastern Dmanisi municipality, reports the Interior Ministry.
Acting Mayor of Dmanisi in the Kvemo Kartli region Giorgi Tatuashvili says local members of the ruling Georgian Dream party attacked two opposition supporters during his election meeting in the village of Gantiadi earlier today.
All Georgian constituencies will be provided with video cameras to record the vote-counting process during the upcoming October 2 municipal elections, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Giorgi Sioridze announced earlier today. Sioridze also noted that video recordings are the only ‘new technological innovation’ implemented for the upcoming elections.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party is expected to receive 36% of the vote while the largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party is likely to get 27% of the vote in the upcoming municipal elections nationwide, says Edison Research polls commissioned by opposition-minded TV channel Formula.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has addressed the country’s international partners and stated that the ‘government will ensure the upcoming October 2 municipal elections are held in a calm and competitive environment.’ "I would like to say to our international partners that our main ambition is for the upcoming local elections to be exemplary. These elections must be free, fair, transparent so that no one is left with any questions,” Garibashvili said.
Eleven days are left until the October 2 municipal elections in Georgia when voters will elect 64 mayors and 2,068 members in 64 city councils. The lead up to the elections has been marked by the ruling party’s withdrawal from the April 19 EU-mediated agreement, an attack on journalists by right-wing activists in July during Tbilisi Pride events, the recent leak of alleged personal files and continued vows of Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili that he will return.
The Central Election Commission has released messages allegedly sent to the body by the United National Movement party and showing "intense pressure" on the commission as it prepares for the municipal elections on Saturday.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) head Giorgi Kalandarishvili has stated that the reason for the presence of dead individuals in the unified list of voters is the deadline which allows an individual to appeal to the body no later than 18 days before the election day in order to make changes in the list. "During these last 18 days, unfortunately, people are dying every day, therefore, in these 18 days, those who have died could not be removed from the list. These people obviously will be [in the list],” Kalandarishvili said.