The Ministry of Youth and Sports has revealed the ranking table of athletes from the national teams in Olympic sports as of October 2024, Azernews reports.
Day: October 2, 2024
With a month to go before the vote, local watchdog organizations have been targeted, as anyone who expresses their political stance may be labeled a “political actor with declared electoral objectives,” biased. Meanwhile, the ruling party complains of “foreign interference” from the West, while the opposition, fragmented into four parties, is trying to unite under a European umbrella.
The following covers election-related updates spanning September 24-30:
Election Environment:
Anti-Corruption Bureau targets CSOs: On September 24, the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili, qualified two CSOs, Transparency International – Georgia and Vote for Europe, as “political actors with declared electoral objectives” for their voter mobilization activities and demanded financial statements from them. The local CSOs warned that amid the silence on the Foreign Agents Law, which the authorities have not yet implemented in practice, the Anti-Corruption Bureau would be used to silence civil society, and in particular the watchdog organizations, their freedom of opinion and expression. Shortly thereafter, on October 1, the government issued a statement saying that it fully agreed with the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s decision to designate these organizations as “political actors with declared electoral objectives,” but that it considered it “feasible” to remove this very status and urged the Bureau to do so “to avoid external manipulation.” The government’s latest move came a day after TI-Georgia said it would not be able to observe election day under its name.
GD Hits Election Observers’ Credibility Over Claims On Political Bias: In an effort to question the impartiality of local observers, GD MP Givi Mikanadze presented a tabular “study” that labels 26 out of 49 local observers registered with the CEC as “not neutral.” He claimed that these organizations are either “affiliated with the opposition” or have a “bias” in favor of the opposition. Mikanadze cited various factors as “evidence” of the alleged “non-neutrality” of local election observers, including their leaders’ public statements and political donations, and even photographs showing members of these monitoring organizations with opposition figures.
His briefing was followed by other GD members who stretched his points and hit the individual CSOs: “For instance, Soros Foundation’s Transparency International’s, GYLA’s or ISFED’s message boxes, narratives, and sequencing of topics are fully synchronized with the opposition political parties, such as United National Movement (UNM), Lelo, or Ahali and their affiliates,” Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Parliament, wrote in his usually lengthy tweet, equating these “quasi-civil society organizations” with “political activists groups” and claiming that their pre-election process and election day judgments cannot be free of political influence and bias.
GD Complains About Foreigners (Western Leaders) Interfering in Elections: Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili complained about “foreign propaganda” – the critical “statements, interviews, TV appearances, articles, and visits to Georgia” by Western leaders – saying that these actions serve the opposition’s campaign agenda and thus constitute interference in the country’s elections. He said that by making statements critical of the government, which then are amplified by opposition-leaning media, Western leaders are “participating in the anti-GD campaign.” He therefore called on them to respect the principle of non-interference. Papuashvili listed the statements of certain leaders, including those of the U.S. and the EU, about which the GD had prepared a special so-called report entitled “Foreign Interference in the Electoral Process.”
In general, the GD leadership sees any critical statement of action by Western leaders as a “lifeline” for the opposition. This was even the case when President Joe Biden disinvited PM Irakli Kobakhidze from the traditional UNGA reception.
Polls Abroad Set, but Sparse: The Central Election Commission said there will be 60 election precincts in 42 foreign countries for the October vote, based on data provided by the Georgian MFA on the number of registered voters abroad. According to the law, an electoral precinct can be established for 50 to 3000 voters registered with consular services. The opposition has long pressed the MFA and the CEC to streamline voting rights for Georgian emigrants by opening more precincts in cities where at least 50 Georgian citizens live, if their request so, as it may be difficult for them to travel long distances to vote. However, this has been in vain. According to unofficial estimates, there could be as many as one million Georgian citizens living abroad, a significant number of whom are illegal migrants who fear deportation if they register at consulates and then vote.
(Moreover) Emigrants Face Difficulties in Registering with Consulates: In addition to the issue of the number of polling stations opened abroad, many emigrants reported that their names had been removed from the voter list, even though they were registered on the consular registry, and that they only learned of the problem after checking into the system. Among them was the Georgian President’s daughter, Ketevan Gorjestani, who will now be able to vote in Paris, but only after the news broke. The deadline for registration at consulates is October 7. Opposition parties and the President are urging emigrants to check the system often and make sure they are on the voter list.
Pro-Government Media Refuses Airing Opposition Platform’s Ad: According to Aleko Elisashvili, leader of the Citizens party and one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia coalition, the pro-government Imedi channel refused to air Strong Georgia’s campaign ad, which shows the ruling party in a negative context. However, the Communications Commission (ComCom), which earlier fined the opposition channels for not airing the ruling Georgian Dream party’s ad, has so far remained silent.
The ComCom informed Civil.ge that no appeal had been filed against Imedi, adding that an appeal is a mandatory procedure for the examination of the case.
PACE Delegation Makes Pre-election Visit to Georgia: On September 23-24, a six-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) made a pre-election visit to Georgia and met with all stakeholders to assess the pre-election atmosphere. After the visit, the delegation stated with concern that “polarization of the political landscape has reached unprecedented levels, turning the forthcoming elections into a de facto referendum on Georgia’s trajectory and foreign alignment.”
President (had to) Sign Amnesty Law: On September 27, President Salome Zurabishvili signed into law the GD-passed “Amnesty Bill,” saying that while the legislation granting clemency to prisoners is in itself a “humanitarian act,” passing it just before the elections is an “indirect voter bribery.”
Two GD Ministers Quit: Two GD ministers – Tea Tsulukiani of the Ministry of Culture and Giorgi Amilakhvari of the Ministry of Education – have resigned. While Tsulukiani’s resignation was ostensibly due to her standing as an MP candidate, Amilakhvari returned to the private sector. According to Parliamentary Majority Leader Mamuka Mdinaradze, discussions are underway about government positions, including with those who were not on the party ticket.
Ex-President Giorgi Margvelashvili Joins Opposition Coalition: On September 25, the fourth President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, joined the opposition platform Strong Georgia during its event in the town of Gori. Margvelashvili is not in Strong Georgia’s parliamentary ticket.
Edison Research Polls: The opposition-leaning Formula TV has published another poll by Edison Research, which it sponsors. The results, based on interviews conducted between September 10 and 22, indicate that if the elections were held today, the following parties would be above the 5% threshold:
- Georgian Dream – 32%;
- Unity-UNM (UNM, Strategy Aghmashenebeli and European Georgia) – 20%;
- Coalition for Changes (Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom, Droa) – 11.9%;
- Gakharia – For Georgia – 11.9%;
- Strong Georgia (Lelo, For People, Freedom Square, Citizens) – 9.9%;
- Labor Party – 5%
Campaign Trail
All Party / Platform Tickets Unveiled: The deadline for submitting party lists to the CEC expired on September 26, and a total of 19 political subjects submitted their lists. Almost at the top of each central list is the leader/chairman of that party/coalition: Bidzina Ivanishvili heads the list of GD’s 170 candidates for the 150-seat parliament. UNM’s Tina Bokuchava and Strategy Agmashenebeli’s Giorgi Vashadze lead the Unity-UNM list in first and second place, respectively. Giorgi Gakharia tops his For Georgia, and number one of the Lelo-led Strong Georgia is Mamuka Khazaradze. Only the Coalition for Change’s list is led by a non-partisan individual – Nana Malashkhia – the iconic “Woman with the EU Flag.”
GD Brutally Campaigns Peace: In a flagrant move to manipulate with fears of war, the ruling party’s new banners appeared in the city, showing images of war-torn Ukraine on one side and the “peace” the GD is offering Georgians on the other. GD’s central campaign pillar is to frame the elections as a choice between war and peace, attributing the former to the opposition and the latter to itself. “The comparison between war and peace is essential for society to make the right choice, because what these pictures depict is the very thing we have avoided at the cost of a great struggle,” PM Kobakhidze said.
GD Government Honors Georgian UFC Champions with Cash: Upon Merab Dvalishvili‘s return home after winning the UFC championship, which turned into another nationwide celebration, the Georgian government announced on September 30 that it would award him and another Georgian UFC champion, Ilia Topuria, GEL one million (about USD 368,000) each. Merab Dvalishvili said that he will donate all the money to charity. In the run-up to the elections, the government has been actively rewarding the nation’s beloved football players and Olympic and Paralympic athletes with cash prizes, as many authoritarian leaders around the world often do to wash away their misdeeds.
Almost all opposition parties and platforms promise leftist social reforms. Regional visits and rallies also continue.
Unity-UNM’s promises include: the cancellation of pension loans from December 1; the subsidization of “necessary medicines” for pensioners; the increase of pensions to 1000 GEL. The platform also proposed a caring narcopolitics focused on rehabilitation instead of punishment.
A visit to the eastern region of Kakheti was reported last week. Another, special meeting was also held with the participation of several leaders of the platform to address the public’s questions about the Unity-UNM’s election promises and plans.
Strong Georgia‘s promises focus on social reforms, including the GEL 1000 pension, 200,000 new jobs, paid internship programs for students, etc. The coalition also aims to fight against the gambling industry. According to one of its leaders, Ana Dolidze, the Strong Georgia plans to increase taxes on casinos, online casinos and slot clubs by up to 25% in order to increase government revenue and redistribute the budget funds to implement other social reforms.
The coalition leaders toured several villages in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia. On September 29, the party held a rally in Rustavi, a city near the capital Tbilisi. On September 30, the coalition members visited Kazbegi, a town in the high mountains. Several members also met with local people in the coastal town of Kobuleti.
Gakharia – For Georgia’s election program includes promises to raise the minimum wage to GEL 950, increase pensions by GEL 200 in the first year with future increases, extend access to gas, water, and high-speed Internet to all villages, build new student dormitories, add 15 metro stations in Tbilisi, implement a caring drug policy, etc. The party also pledges to strengthen laws against elite corruption, free the state sector from party influence, and prioritize EU reforms to facilitate Georgia’s integration into the European Union.
Meanwhile, Gakharia Presses Ivanishvili to Elaborate on his Promise to Restore Territorial Integrity: Ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition For Georgia party, pressed Bidzina Ivanishvili from the briefing to elaborate on his cryptic promise to restore territorial integrity, asserting that Ivanishvili is lying, “which could ultimately destroy the real opportunity to restore Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Last week, a regional meeting was held in the town of Bolnisi in the Kveto Kartli region.
Coalition for Change held meetings in the largely ethnic minority region of Kvemo Kartli, in the towns of Marneuli and Tsalka. The Coalition has a member organization, Activists for Future, a movement of activists from Georgia’s ethnic minority groups. Traditionally, the regions populated by ethnic minorities are mostly pro-GD voters.
…And Adds New Offices Abroad: According to the Coalition, its supporters have opened offices around the world to assist Georgian emigrants with election-related procedures, including consular registration. In particular, the new offices have been opened in New York, Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Warsaw.
Also Read:
- 24/09/2024 – Campaign Beat: September 17-23