ISFED: pre-election announcement of social vouchers might manipulate voter choice

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy says that Tbilisi City Hall’s new project to provide medication vouchers to socially vulnerable pensioners carries the risk of manipulating voter choice.

• Socially vulnerable pensioners to receive 500 GEL vouchers

The organisation’s executive director Nino Dolidze points out that the acting Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced the initiative ten days before run-off elections. Therefore, the decision might be ‘motivated by elections’.

While planning the budget, providing vouchers for people in need can be taken into consideration. That is not a problem. However, an announcement now by a mayor who is also a candidate, we think might signal an attempt to manipulate voter choice, - Dolidze explains.

Dolidze says that all political parties should provide realistic election programmes based on voters’ needs. However, the government, unlike the opposition, has access to more resources.

It’s hard for the voters to differentiate whether [the initiative] is carried out by mayor Kaladze or candidate Kaladze, who represents one of the political parties, - she added.

Kakha Kaladze, from the ruling Georgian Dream party, is running for his second term in Tbilisi run-off mayoral elections against the United National Movement’s chairman Nika Melia. The run-offs are scheduled for October 30.