CoE on Georgian municipal poll: election day calm, transparent, political environment ‘very polarised’
CoE says that the October 2 elections in Georgia was a missed opportunity for local democracy. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which observed the recent municipal elections in Georgia between September 29 and October 3, says that the election day on October 2 was ‘overall calm, orderly, transparent and well organised without major shortcomings.’
However, David Eray, head of the delegation composed of 18 members from 15 Council of Europe countries, said that the political environment in the country is ‘externally polarised’ and pointed at an increase in verbal aggression, hate speech and fake news on social media during the election campaign.
This polarisation had a paralysing effect on local democracy which, in fact, has been taken hostage by the overall national political situation. Against this background, this poll was a missed opportunity for local democracy in Georgia”, Eray said.
He said that new regulations, to increase the number of women on candidate lists by placing at least one in every three candidates of the opposite gender on the ballot, ‘proved insufficient as women were almost always placed as the third, sixth or ninth candidate, thus having much lower chances to get elected than their male counterparts.’
CoE mission observed elections in nine regions of Georgia, visiting in total some 120 polling stations from the opening until the closing.
The EU and US embassies have assessed the October 2 municipal elections in Georgia and stated that the race was generally well administered, but was characterised by ‘hardened polarisation.’ They agreed with the preliminary findings of the OSCE/ODIHR and said that the contestants were able to campaign freely in a competitive environment, and that the election day proceeded in an orderly and transparent manner.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says that the local elections in Georgia were ‘calm, fair, secure, and competitive’ without significant violations despite the difficult political and polarised electoral environment.
The OSCE/ODIHR mission, which has monitored the October 2 municipal elections in Georgia, says that the elections ‘were generally well-administered but held against the backdrop of a protracted political crisis and characterised by hardened polarisation.’
A second round of mayoral elections are expected in all five big cities of Georgia, including Tbilisi, as none of the candidates received at least 50% + 1 of the vote.Municipal elections are held in Georgia per a mixed electoral system. Voters have to fill three ballot papers: the first ballot paper is for mayoral candidates (which are elected per a 50%+1 system). The winner is the candidate who will receive at least 50%+1 of the vote, otherwise a second round of elections will be held).
US Senator Jim Risch says that he is disappointed by the October 2 municipal elections in Georgia. He said that he is ‘troubled by extensive reports’ of intimidation and vote-buying.