US Embassy on municipal run-offs: positive steps forward were undermined by widespread violations
“The recent elections and Georgia’s deeply divisive political environment show much more work is urgently needed,” the US Embassy says. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The United States Embassy to Georgia has stated that electoral reforms made by Georgian politicians earlier this year have increased the transparency of the voting process – emphasising, however, that ‘widespread violations adversely affected the ability of citizens to vote freely’ in local self-government elections in Georgia.
The US Embassy has shared the evaluation of the OSCE/ODIHR, which says that ‘elections were generally calm and well-administered but allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters persisted.’
U.S. Embassy Statement Following the Second Round of Georgian Municipal Elections https://t.co/Nkd0bYdvFL
— U.S. Embassy Tbilisi (@usingeo) November 1, 2021
As these elections have shown, democracy is a work in progress. It requires dedication to the highest international standards and vigilance to ensure citizens’ rights and freedoms are protected,” the statement reads.
The US Embassy called on the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the courts to ‘use legal mechanisms for adjudication of election disputes.’
Intimidation, offensive rhetoric, misuse of administrative resources, and reports of blatant vote-buying and other violations continued [in the second round of the elections],” the US Embassy stated.
Democracy in Georgia will not be strengthened by resorting to violence or pursuing solutions outside the law,” the statement further reads.
Based on the final results of municipal election run-offs held on October 30, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party mayoral candidates have won in all self-governing cities and municipalities except for Tsalenjikha, where the United National Movement (UNM) party candidate, Giorgi Kharchilava, won with 51.11%, over the GD’s Goga Gulordava. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
It urges Georgian leaders ‘to enact and implement all the remaining reforms recommended by ODIHR, the Venice Commission, and other international experts.’
The statement also emphasises that ‘a politicised media further inflamed the polarised atmosphere’ both ahead of the elections and on voting days.
The recent elections and Georgia’s deeply divisive political environment show much more work is urgently needed,” the US Embassy says.
A total of 5,309 representatives from political parties, 35,198 observers of 100 local organisations, and 1,202 foreign observers from 52 international organisations monitored the municipal run-offs on October 30 in Georgia nationwide.
The EU delegation to Georgia says that the October 30 municipal election run-offs in Georgia were generally well administered, the campaign was competitive, but that serious issues persist with an escalation of ‘negative rhetoric, persistent allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters and sharp imbalances in resources, which benefited the ruling party and tilted the playing field.’
OSCE/ODIHR and European Parliament (EP) observation missions have assessed Georgian municipal election run-offs held yesterday, stating that the race ‘was generally competitive and organized professionally’, but increasing polarization and negative rhetoric, as well as allegations of voter intimidation and the ‘continuing advantage of incumbency, demonstrated the need for further reforms.
The official results of the Central Election Commission (CEC) for the 2021 municipal election run-offs in Georgia show that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party mayoral candidates have won in 19 municipalities, while the opposition United National Movement (UNM) contender has won in just one. Incumbent Tbilisi mayor and candidate Kakha Kaladze from the GD took 55.6% of the votes over the UNM’s Nika Melia, with 100% of the votes counted.
The British Embassy in Georgia has assessed the Georgian municipal elections run-offs as ‘well administered’, but pointed out issues of ‘negative rhetoric’ and ‘pressure on voters.’ The embassy agrees with the OSCE/ODIHR evaluation that the run-offs were competitive, but undermined by ‘deepening polarization.’
The opposition has won the majority in city assemblies in seven out of 64 municipalities – Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki. GD head Irakli Kobakhidze stated that ‘the majority will be formed on the basis of negotiations with the members of the city councils,’ in municipalities where GD lost the majority, noting that ‘work on the issue has already started successfully.’
The largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party member Nona Mamulashvili has announced earlier today that she will leave the Georgian parliament amid the protests of the municipal election run-offs results and demand of its annulment by the opposition.
The ballots of 194 polling stations in mayoral elections have been recounted, of which the results of 172 constituencies remains unchanged, while the results of 27 out of 33 polling stations in the majoritarian part have also remained the same, the Central Election Commission (CEC) head Giorgi Kalandarishvili reports.