UNM opposition head: if most foreign observers say elections were fair, we’ll accept results
Head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia is running for Tbilisi mayor on behalf of four opposition parties. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia, who is running for Tbilisi mayor in the October 2 municipal elections, says that ‘if almost all international observers say that the elections were held in the full line with the EU and US standards, we will accept the results.’
MEP Marina Kaljurand has stated that Georgian political parties should accept the results of the upcoming municipal elections if the OSCE/ODIHR recognises the legitimacy of the race.
She said that non-accepting the 2020 parliamentary election results by the country’s opposition, which were described as ‘mostly fair’ by OSCE/ODIHR, has caused a long political tension in the country.
Melia says that unlike the 2020 elections, more international observers will monitor the forthcoming race.
89 local and 52 international organisations will observe the elections this year, while the number of international observing organisations stood at 48 in 2020.
Expert teams of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) are visiting Tbilisi in the run up to the October 2 self-government elections and are calling on ‘all political parties to uphold democratic principles by participating actively and in good faith during the elections and in the post-election period.
MEP Marina Kaljurand has stated that Georgian political parties should accept the results of the upcoming municipal elections if the OSCE/ODIHR recognises the legitimacy of the race. In an interview with the Georgian bureau of Voice of America (VOA), Kaljurand also said that the European Parliament expects ‘free, fair and open elections’ to be held in Georgia on October 2.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has launched its long-term election observation mission in Georgia for the October 2 municipal elections.
Political parties in Georgia spent over 11 million GEL between August 2 and September 12, says the interim report on the October 2 local self-government elections published by the State Audit Office of Georgia.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has met with the Central Election Commisis0onchair and representatives of international election monitoring missions ahead of the October 2 municipal elections. Reportedly, the chair of the delegation of MEPs, Michael Gahler hoped that the upcoming elections would be transparent and peaceful and wished Georgia success on its European path.
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 Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) has dismissed reports by the Civic Election Commission movement that Kutaisi district election commission forgot to send election registrators’ seals to polling stations.