Transparency freed from restrictions
The Anti-Corruption Bureau removed the organization “Transparency International-Georgia” (TI) from the list of “entities with a declared electoral purpose” after a proposal from Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
The decision to assign this status to “Transparency International-Georgia” and personally to the organization’s director, Eka Gigauri, was made by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on September 24 and sparked significant protest from civil society and the opposition.
The decision to assign this status to “Transparency International-Georgia” and personally to the organization’s director, Eka Gigauri, was made by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on September 24 and sparked significant protest from civil society and the opposition.
As a result of this decision, the organization was deprived of the right to observe the crucial parliamentary elections on October 26. TI then announced that it would file a lawsuit and would still monitor the elections through the work of volunteers.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili, stated that the decision to remove the status and corresponding restrictions “was made in the interests of the country.”
“No one should be given the opportunity to manipulate or cast doubt on the results of the parliamentary elections on October 26. Therefore, I consider it necessary to exercise my right and annul this decision,” said Razhden Kuprashvili.
On October 1, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made an unexpected appeal to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, urging it not only to revoke the decision regarding “Transparency International-Georgia” but also to refrain from assigning similar status to any other organizations or individuals before the parliamentary elections.
The concept of “entity with a declared electoral purpose” is included in the law “On Political Associations of Citizens.” Organizations and individuals assigned this status are required to provide the Anti-Corruption Bureau with financial reports and disclose information about the bank details of accounts used for income and expenses related to their electoral purposes. They are also prohibited from acting as observers in elections.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau stated that monitoring revealed that Transparency International-Georgia and its executive director, Eka Gigauri, “are actively participating in the election campaign, aimed both at supporting specific political parties and calling for the abstention from supporting certain parties.”
In response, Transparency International-Georgia stated that they “have been and remain loyal to Georgia’s European choice, which is enshrined in the Constitution and reflects the aspirations of an absolute majority of the population.”
Various international organizations have called for the decision to be revoked. On October 1, the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) issued a statement expressing deep concern that “Transparency International-Georgia” is forced to suspend its election monitoring activities.
