TI Georgia records 50 minor and serious violations during run-offs
Most violations recorded by local observing organizations have been minor. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Transparency International (TI) Georgia says that its observers have recorded 50 minor and serious violations during today’s municipal election run-offs, as of 13:30.
TI Georgia says that the alleged violations mostly concerned standing in a 100-meter radius from precincts, noting down voters’ identities by individuals standing at polling stations, interfering in observers’ activities, admitting voters to polling stations without checking entrance stamps, and interfering in journalists’ work.
Our observers have reported up to 50 insignificant and relatively serious violations. We have filed 8 complaints. Read about noteworthy cases of serious violations here: #GVote21https://t.co/34rShK9VuA
— Transparency Int'l GE (@Transparency_GE) October 30, 2021
The organization has deployed up to 250 observers to monitor the second round of local elections, covering 170 precincts in 28 election districts throughout the country.
In addition, 30 mobile TI groups are involved in election observation.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association says they have written six complaints as of 11:00.
One of the complaints concerned the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who appeared at a polling station with his guards.
GYLA says that by this action Ivanishvili violated election rules.
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy says that its four observers have been insulted at four polling stations in the western Zugdidi region.
Georgia is holding municipal run-offs today, in which a total of 2,088,722 voters, including 1,002,525 in Tbilisi, are eligible to elect 20 mayors and 42 majoritarian members of local city assemblies (Sakrebulos).
5,309 representatives from parties, 35,198 observers of 100 local organizations, and 1,202 foreign observers from 52 international organizations are monitoring the run-offs.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has cast her ballot in today’s municipal run-offs, said she hopes polarisation will end in Georgia.
Georgian is holding municipal run-offs in 20 of 64 election constituencies, including all five big cities of Georgia - Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Batumi and Poti. A total of 2,088,722 registered voters can elect mayors and city council (Sakrebulo) members at 1,830 polling stations countrywide.
The second round of municipal elections will take place in Georgia tomorrow, including in all big cities of the country, amid a polarized political environment and continued rivalry between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the main opposition, the United National Movement. The GD claims they will ‘finally defeat and end the UNM’ in the race, describing it ‘as an evil force’ which has been hampering development for 18 years, while the UNM still hopes the run-offs will lead to snap parliamentary elections ‘and the changing of the GD government.’
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the GD is winning in 18 out of 20 municipalities, saying that in the remaining two municipalities the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party is close to 50% threshold.
United States Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, who is ‘happy to see voters coming out and casting their votes’ calls for a calm atmosphere on Election Day. Degnan told journalists at the Krtsanisi constituency in Tbilisi that at the places she has visited the environment was calm, while the precincts have been well organised and well administered. However, the embassy has people all over Georgia, who are seeing very different things in some parts of the country.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics and Coalition for Media Advocacy have called on the ruling Georgian Dream party not to encourage violence against journalists.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who has cast his ballot in today’s municipal elections, said he voted for the country’s ‘peaceful development.’ PM Garibashvili, who arrived at the polling station with his family, asked the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) supporters to cast their ballots as well.
The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) says that 97 complaints have been presented on voting procedures by 40 observers and 57 representatives of political parties in today’s municipal election run-offs.
Head of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) Nika Simonishvili has called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to timely investigate the attacks on journalists and observers of GYLA.
The results of exit commissioned by Imedi TV from Gorbi and by opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi channel from Anova have been released following the closure of polling stations in Georgia in the municipal election run-offs. The exit polls offer differing pictures of the results.
Transparency International (TI) Georgia, which monitored the October 30 municipal run-offs, says that the public may have ‘legitimate questions’ regarding the ‘overall fairness of the elections.’ TI Georgia claims that violations, including physical confrontations, interference in the work of observers and journalists, and the admittance of voters to polling stations without checking electoral ink stamps, might have had a ‘serious impact’ on election results.
Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) says that the Georgian Dream government has spent 140.5 million GEL on PR employees in state agencies between 2013 and 2020.
Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) says that the undeclared business assets of Georgian MPs and the activities incompatible to their status remain a problem in the 10th convocation of the state legislature.