ComCom: Opposition Channels Violated Electoral Code

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The Communications Commission upheld complaint filed by the Georgian Dream and recognized the opposition-leaning Mtavari TV, TV Pirveli and Formula as violators of the Electoral Code of Georgia issuing them with a protocol of administrative violations. The matter relates to the complaint received by ComCom that these channels did not broadcast GD’s political advertisements.

According to ComCom’s press release, Mtavari TV, TV Pirveli and Formula TV have submitted letters of response stating that they refuse to broadcast GD’s political advertisement because it is unethical and contains war propaganda that incites national strife and intimidates voters with war.

Georgian Dream’s new political ad is based on its campaign banners, which juxtapose war-torn Ukraine with the “peace” offered by the GD and aim, reinforcing the GD’s war-against-peace campaign pillar. The banners showed the devastation brought by Russia’s war in Ukraine on one side and similar locations in “peaceful” Georgia on the other. The slogan is “Say no to war – Choose peace,” and the party numbers of the main opposition coalitions are crossed out on the grim, “war” side of the poster.

ComCom notes that, according to the Supreme Court of Georgia, it is prohibited to broadcast political advertising that contains propaganda for war and violence, calls for the change or overthrow of the existing authorities and violently disrupts public order, calls for the violation of the territorial integrity of Georgia, causes national discord and enmity, and incites religious and ethnic conflicts. According to ComCom, the unethical nature of advertising, by the practice established by the Supreme Court of Georgia, is not the subject of the broadcaster’s assessment, and therefore ComCom concludes that the broadcaster’s refusal to place political advertising on this basis is a violation of the law.

ComCom goes on to say that “based on Georgian legislation and court practice, the Communications Commission considers that the video ad does not contain either war propaganda or an incitement to national strife and enmity, as cited by the broadcasters.” Therefore, ComCom states, that “the ad does not violate the Electoral Code of Georgia” and “the broadcasters were obliged to broadcast the GD’s electoral ad.”

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