October 22, 2024 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

The crucial parliamentary elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 26. The eagerly awaited elections are being held at a time when Georgian society is at a crossroads between the EU and Russia, with most of the society aspiring to the constitutional objective of achieving Euro-Atlantic integration, but weakened by Russian influence not only from the outside but also from the inside – coming from the ruling power.

While these elections are important in meaning, they are also unique in several other aspects. These will be the first fully-proportional elections in Georgia, as well as the first electronic elections, with about 90% of voters casting their ballots through electronic machines installed at polling stations. The fact that these are the first proportional elections, with a 5% threshold that parties must pass to fill 150 seats of the Parliament, has prompted parties to form coalitions, and the main four contenders to pass the electoral threshold- the three most prominent opposition coalitions, as well as the For Georgia party- have a signed up to the President’s Georgian Charter (Read more about the odds and the context of the elections Here).

The main contenders that have the best chance of passing the threshold among the 19 registered parties, are (more on that Here):

(41) Georgian Dream, current ruling party united with its spinoff political movement People’s Power;
(5) Unity – to Save Georgia, which unites the former ruling United National Movement, plus Strategy Agmashenebeli and various old and new faces;
(4) Coalition for Change, another union of former UNM faces brings together Ahali led by Nika Gvaramia and Nika Melia, Girchi – More Freedom led by Zura Japaridze, and Droa led by Elene Khoshtaria;
(9) Strong Georgia, an alliance positioning itself as equidistant from both UNM and GD, is led by Lelo for Georgia and includes For People led by Anna Dolidze, Citizens led by Aleko Elisashvili, and Freedom Square led by Levan Tsutskiridze; and
(25) For Georgia, led by the former GD Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia – another self-positioned “neither UNM nor GD” force, uniting primarily former government officials and MPs who had deserted the Georgian Dream.

The purpose of this live blog, which we are launching with just over two weeks to go and which will replace our regular Election Beat, is to keep you up to date with all the events surrounding the upcoming elections:

ALL TIMES ARE LOCAL

Tuesday, October 22

IRI Deploys Short-Term Observers for Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections

The International Republican Institute (IRI) announced the arrival of its short-term observers as part of its ongoing international election observation mission for Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections. The mission is led by former U.S. Representative John Shimkus, Swedish MP Margareta Cederfeldt, and IRI President Dr. Daniel Twining. 28 observers will join 20 long-term observers, who have been on the ground since July, expanding the mission’s capacity to monitor and assess the integrity of the electoral process.

“The strength of Georgia’s democratic process is crucial to ensuring the country continues on its path toward European integration,” said Swedish MP Margareta Cederfeldt. “Our observation efforts on Election Day will provide crucial insight into the integrity of the process and Georgia’s adherence to democratic norms, which are essential for its future in the EU.”

“Georgia’s path to democracy is the central question in these elections,” said IRI President Dr. Daniel Twining. “We look forward to being on the ground to ensure they reflect the will of the Georgian people, whom IRI polls show overwhelmingly want to live in a democratic society and join the West.”

Monday, October 21

Government Gifts Land Plots to the Georgian Orthodox Church

According to the government decrees signed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and publicized today, land has been given to the Orthodox Church of Georgia last week. The October 17 decree shows that the church was given 3,610 sq/m and 160 sq/m land plots in the village of Shuasurebi, Chokhatauri district for 1 GEL. The same decree shows that 300 sq/m of land in the village of Salibauri, Khelvachauri district, was also given to the church for 1 GEL. Another decree dated October 18 shows that the government transferred 1619 sq/m of non-agricultural land and the buildings/structures located thereon on Jordania Street in the town of Lanchkhuti to the Church for 99 years for free.

Government Announces October 25 as Holiday

Based on the address of the Central Election Commission, the Government Administration decided to declare October 25, one day before the elections, as a day off. The decision is based on the fact that more than half of the polling stations in Georgia are located in public schools, kindergartens and other public institutions. In particular, out of 3 031 precincts, 483 are in kindergartens and 1675 are in schools. Due to the fact that the precincts need certain works and equipment to be installed there, the Government decided to declare October 25 as a holiday to allow the works to continue without interfering with the working days of public servants.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) Deploys International Delegation to Observe Elections in Georgia

The delegation includes 22 political and civic leaders, elections experts, and regional specialists from nine countries; they join six thematic long-term analysts who were deployed in July. The leaders of the delegation are the Honorable Tom Malinowski, former United States Congressman and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Ambassador Per Eklund, former European Union Ambassador to Georgia; and Dr. Tamara Cofman Wittes, NDI’s President.

TI Georgia Report on ‘Misuse of Administrative Resources in Parliamentary Elections 2024’

The local watchdog Transparency International Georgia released its interim report on “Misuse of Administrative Resources in Parliamentary Elections 2024.” The monitoring was conducted from July 1 to October 15 with findings showing that the line between the ruling party and the state has effectively been erased, which is a “serious problem for the fairness of the election environment.”

For Georgia Speaks of Pre-Election Violations

The Deputy Chair of the opposition For Georgia party, Natia Mezvrishvili, held a briefing claiming that the people who shone lasers at President Salome Zurabishvili during the huge pro-EU rally the day before were those who had previously attacked For Georgia members on several occasions. According to her, some of these people are members of the GD youth organization. She also said that the Special Investigation Service has not responded to the cases.

My Voice Speaks of Pre-Election Violations

A representative of the My Voice Election Observation Mission, Londa Toloraia, held a weekly briefing on pre-election violations. She spoke about recent media reports of alleged cases of confiscation of ID cards and other personal data from people working in the public sector and their family members, although the relevant bodies, including the Personal Data Protection Service, the Special Investigation Service and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, have remained silent. According to her, the government agencies are providing this information to the ruling party so that it can better control its voters and possibly manipulate the elections. There is also an ongoing disinformation campaign by the GD as if voting through electronic technologies is not secret.

My Voice will have a total of 4200 observers throughout the country, in all electoral districts, Toloraia said.

Sunday, October 20

‘Georgia Chooses EU’ Rally Ahead of October 26 Elections

Exactly six days before the crucial parliamentary elections in Georgia, Georgians took to the streets of Tbilisi in a rally titled “Georgia Chooses EU” to show the world that Georgians are committed to voting for pro-Western parties on October 26. The rally began with a march from five different locations in Tbilisi, with crowds converging on Freedom Square. The night was accompanied by a concert by popular Georgian musicians and speeches by CSO representatives, activists and the President. According to various estimations, around 90,000 to 100,000 people participated in the rally.

Saturday, October 19

GD Rally Held in Kutaisi

As part of its regional tour, the ruling party held another rally in the western Georgian city of Kutaisi. The rally followed the same script as GD’s earlier similar gatherings, with speeches by leading GD figures- party Chair Irakli Garibashvili, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, Parliamentary Majority Leader Mamuka Mdinaradze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, followed by the closing speech by Honorary Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili. He again slammed the previous UNM government and its rule, while praising the Georgian Dream including for “continuous peace.” He again hammered home the party’s “promises” to ban the opposition, crack down on LGBT, prepare a constitutional order to restore territorial integrity, and strengthen the role of the Orthodox Church in the Constitution if the GD wins a constitutional majority.

Friday, October 18

GD-Affiliated Officials Allegedly Confiscate IDs of Opposition-Minded Civil Servants

According to recent reports, Georgian Dream officials are allegedly confiscating ID cards from opposition-supporting civil servants in the regions of Georgia. The issue was first raised by members of the opposition coalition Unity – National Movement, Ana Tsitlidze and Tamar Kordzaia, who cited some cases in their separate briefings. Their allegations were followed by a journalistic investigation by Mtavari TV, which also found evidence of the practice in Rustavi. The Rustavi Mayor has already denied the allegations and the Public Defender has called on law enforcement agencies to invastigate the cases.

CEC Announces Total Number of Voters

The total number of voters for the upcoming elections is 3,508,294, the Central Election Spokesperson Natia Ioseliani announced at a briefing. The majority of them, 3,113,747, will vote using the new electronic technologies. Ioseliani noted that of the total number of voters, 135,922 are first-time voters. In addition, there are 95,910 Georgian voters living abroad.

OSCE PA to Observe Election Day

A team of 60 OSCE parliamentarians and staff will be deployed throughout Georgia to observe the October 26 elections. The team will be briefed on the pre-election situation by the election administration, civil society, candidates, party representatives and experts before being deployed to various regions of Georgia to observe election day. The OSCE PA team will work closely with the ODIHR Election Observation Mission and partner delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the European Parliament, said the OSCE PA press release. “Our large delegation is a clear signal of the great interest of the international community in Georgia’s upcoming elections,” said OSCE PA President Pia Kauma (Finland), who is leading the OSCE PA delegation.

Thursday, October 17

ComCom Ruled Pro-Government Media Violated the Law

The Communications Commission upheld the opposition Unity-UNM’s complaint against the pro-government channels Imedi, POSTV and Studio Maestro for not broadcasting UNM’s political ads. The UNM’s ads have not been broadcast on these three channels since October 10. In addition, ComCom ruled that POSTV had violated the law by not disclosing details of the public opinion polls. Now, only if the court decides to uphold ComCom’s decision will the pro-government media be fined for not broadcasting the ads.

Coalition for Change Unveils “Plan 4-4-4”

Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, announced the coalition’s plan to present initiatives in four policy priorities just four days after the formation of the parliamentary majority, should it be formed by the opposition forces. These are: 1. the opening of EU accession talks; 2. the repeal of the Foreign Agents Law and other anti-democratic legislation; 3. tax cuts for small and medium-sized enterprises; 4. bringing education funding up to the EU average by 2028. Gvaramia reiterated the coalition’s support for the President’s Georgian Charter and reaffirmed its commitment to a technical government, whether appointed before or after the elections.

Wednesday, October 16

President Refuses to Attend Interdepartmental Commission Session

Justice Minister Rati Bregadze told journalists that President Salome Zurabishvili was invited to attend today’s meeting of the interdepartmental commission, but she refused to appear and the Ministry will send another invitation to the Presidential Administration, asking for a representative to attend the next session. The reason for her invitation is her statement made on October 8, when she announced the creation of the Coordination Platform at the Orbeliani Palace on the day of the elections “to monitor everything that will happen on that day” and “to celebrate the victory together.” According to the Justice Minister, such an initiative could have elements that violate the electoral code.

PM Grants State Protection to CEC Head

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has signed a decree granting state protection to the head of the Central Election Commission, Giorgi Kalandarishvili. According to the document, dated October 10, the protection was necessary before the elections due to the “relevant conditions until the necessity expires.” The protection will be provided by the Special State Protection Service.

Tuesday, October 15

ISFED Speaks of Voter Pressure

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) reported cases of pressure on voters by persons involved in the pre-election campaign in support of the ruling party. The cases included the demand and temporary handing over of identity cards, the handing over of lists of probable supporters of the ruling party, the distribution of goods, petrol vouchers and gifts in exchange for support, and the spreading of disinformation, as if the people’s vote would not be secret through electronic technologies.

ISFED urged voters not to provide their personal information, including IDs, to anyone, and reminded voters that voting is secret. The organization also called on the relevant authorities to investigate the cases.

Opposition Politicians against GD’s “War Banners”

Opposition Unity-UNM members Khatia Dekanoidze and Gigi Ugulava released a video showing them smearing white paint on Georgian Dream banners, which contrast the war in Ukraine with the peace in Georgia offered by the the ruling party.

GD MP and Parliamentary Majority Leader Mamuka Mdinaradze reacted to the incident, saying that Dekanoidze and Ugulava should be held accountable under the criminal article and that by erasing the phrase “No to war” from the banner, they showed that they remained “loyal” to the war.

Monday, October 14

15:30 – Georgian Ministry of Education, Science and Youth Denies Claims of Illegally Collecting Personal Data

The Georgian Ministry of Education, Science and Youth has denied the information spread by President Salome Zurabishvili that personal data of children is being collected in schools for specific purposes.

The Ministry said in its statement that the spreading of such “disinformation” is aimed at discrediting the education system. The Ministry said that asking pupils for updated information about their parents is a routine procedure and that schools regularly update the information in the system, namely parent/legal representative, contact phone number, email address and home address. “We call on specific individuals to refrain from spreading misinformation, which serves to deliberately mislead the public,” the statement said.

President Salome Zurabishvili wrote on her Facebook page that children are asked for their parents’ personal numbers in schools, which is a violation of personal data. The same concern was voiced earlier in the day by the representative of the electoral observation mission “My Voice”, Londa Toloraia.

11:30 – Observation Mission “My Voice” Talks of Government Pressure on Voters

The representative of the electoral observation mission “My Voice”, Londa Toloraia, held a briefing on the violations identified by civil society in the run-up to the elections. Toloraia said that on 12 October, new cases of the use of administrative resources resurfaced in the media through journalistic investigations, whereby civil servants are asked to collect personal data of their family members and themselves, allegedly to pass this information on to the ruling party. She said the special list became known to the media which include information on civil servants (and their family members) from the MoD, MIA, Gardabani Municipality, State Gas and Oil Corporation and others. She said that the information gives rise to reasonable suspicion that there are facts of illegal acquisition and use of data, abuse and excess of official authority and coercive influence on the voters’ will.

She thus called on the Special Investigation Service and the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the claims and to make the investigation results public. Toloraia also noted that there are reports of public schools asking students for their parents’ personal information, which she asked the Ministry of Education to explain.

Sunday, October 13

13:12 – ComCom Ruled that Pro-government Media Broke the Law

The Communications Commission upheld the opposition Strong Georgia’s complaint and issued a protocol of administrative violation against pro-government TV channels Imedi and Rustavi 2 for not airing the coalition’s political ad. ComCom also stated that Imedi had violated the law for not publishing the information on its opinion polls. Earlier, Imedi TV announced that it had refused to broadcast the campaign ads of the opposition coalitions in response to the refusal of the opposition-leaning channels to broadcast the ads of the GD.

Unity-UNM Office Vandalized

The opposition Unity-UNM said its office in the Varketili district of Tbilisi had been vandalized. The images show the windows of the office broken and bottles of red paint thrown into the office.

Friday, October 11

Three Opposition-leaning media Fined

The Court fined three opposition-leaning channels – Mtavari TV, Formula TV, and TV Pirveli – GEL 5000 (about USD 1841) each for not airing the ruling Georgian Dream party’s political ads juxtaposing war-torn Ukraine with the peace offered by Georgian Dream. [Read more about the case HERE].

OSCE/ODIHR Issues Interim Report

The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) issued its interim report, assessing the election environment and related developments in the run-up to October 26 parliamentary elections. According to the report “the elections take place in the context of entrenched political polarization, continued political tension, opposition distrust in state institutions and concerns about protection of the right to association and expression.”

15:00 – Savanta Public Opinion Poll Results

Savanta, a British company, released the results of a public opinion poll commissioned by the Media Freedom Fund for Mtavari TV. The survey polled 1,561 randomly selected eligible voters across Georgia, excluding the occupied territories. The margin of error is ±2.48%, with a confidence level of 95%. To the question on which party people would vote if elections were conducted tomorrow, people answered:

Georgian Dream – People’s Power – 36%;
Coalition for Change – 18%;
Unity – National Movement – 14%;
Gakharia – For Georgia – 10%;
Strong Georgia – 8%;
Girchi – 3%;
Georgia’s Patriots Alliance – 3%;
Georgian Labor Party – 2%;
Others – 6%.

13:28 – CEC Decides to Open 7 Additional Precincts

The Central Election Commission made the decision to open 7 additional precincts to accommodate the additional voters registered abroad. The cities were these precincts will be opened are: New York, Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Paris. More precincts could also be opened based on the updated data the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide to CEC after all the requests are fully analyzed.

Thursday, October 10

20:50 – CEC: 95,834 Emigrants Will Vote in October 26 Elections

The Central Election Commission reported that according to the data received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of voters with the right to vote abroad is currently 95,834. Previously, the CEC had decided to open 60 precincts in 42 countries, which would accommodate 65,508 expatriates, but now there is a need to open 7 additional precincts in these countries for the additional 30,326 expatriates, taking into account that this number may increase further as the Ministry continues to process the applications received.

This issue will be discussed at the upcoming CEC meeting, along with the issue of not opening a precinct in Israel due to the tense military and political situation there. It’s worth noting that the CEC has already announced that a precinct in Ukraine will not be opened for the same reason.

15:00 – ComCom Allegedly Restricts Gakharia For Georgia’s Free Political Ad Rights

Ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated during a briefing that the Communications Commission is restricting his political parties right to have a free political advertisement air on TV channels. According to the regulations, the political party can have a free advertisement on TV if it received at least 4% support in 5 public opinion polls. The Public Broadcaster of Georgia decided to grant the “For Georgia” party the status of a “qualified subject” on the basis of polls conducted by Edison Research on behalf of the opposition-leaning Formula TV. ComCom fined the Public Broadcaster for this decision and asked Formula TV to provide the documentation used by Edison Research to verify the results.

“I want to address Kakha Bekauri personally, I understand very well that slavery is a very easy and quick way to get rich, but the National Communications Regulatory Commission is an independent agency that should serve the citizens of Georgia, especially in the pre-election period, and do everything to ensure that citizens have an opportunity to make an informed choice and I, Giorgi Gakharia want to warn him that the responsibility will be personalized and no one can escape this responsibility,” emphasized Gakharia.

Background for earlier developments: