Tbilisi. Within the framework of the “First time at the self-government elections” campaign, an online meeting with young people living in Batumi, Shuakhevi, Khelvachauri, Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, and Gori municipalities was held on September 9 and 10. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify the essence of self-governance, competencies, forms of citizen participation, and electoral procedures for young people, especially those for whom the 2021 self-government elections are the first elections. The “First time at the self-government elections” campaign consists of various stages and serves personal development of young people, enhancement of their role, and encouragement to participate in local self-government activities. The campaign is implemented by the Civil Society Institute (CSI) within the framework of the project - “Building a Robust Alliance of Local Development Actors in Georgia” (Phase II), with the support of a German organization - “Bread for the World” and in partnership with youth centers operating in target municipalities as well as with Innovation and Civil Development Center - “Progress House”. Read more…  Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia updates reports of election disruption and response. The new information refers to the facts observed from August 1 to September 8. Read more…  Source: The webpage of the organization

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia provides updated information on election irregularities and responses. By the TI the political party “For Georgia” has repeatedly informed the observer organizations and the Public Defender of Georgia about the alleged facts of various pressures on the party's supporters. Transparency International Georgia is studying these cases. Read more…  Source: The webpage of the organization

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition responds to the statement of Kakha Kaladze and proposes political parties sign a memorandum.  As Kaladze informs in his statement, the Tbilisi mayoral candidate, nominated by the ruling party, is going to participate only in TV debates planned by Public Broadcaster, besides, some of the regional TV stations have already received refusals of candidates of the ruling party to participate in political debates.  In order to fulfill the multifaceted commitment to suffrage, Media Advocacy Coalition proposes political parties and electoral subjects, participating in the local self-government elections, sign a memorandum, which incorporates the responsibility to carry out election processes in a peaceful, non-violent and non-discriminatory environment.  Read more…  Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. GYLA monitors pre-election processes within the framework of a long-term observation mission through 9 regional offices. They are in Tbilisi, Adjara, Guria, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Imereti, Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, and Kakheti. An interim report on the 2021 local self-government elections covers the results of monitoring conducted from May 1 through July 31. GYLA accounted for several problematic cases during the reporting period, one part of which is related to the use of public resources by the ruling party for electoral purposes, while the other one – to the dismissal of a public servant from work for adversarial views. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia is monitoring the human rights violations during the pre-election period and is concerned about the alleged discriminatory dismissal of dozens of people for their political views. ‘According to the information available to the Public Defender’s Office at this time, 62 employees were subjected to various forms of pressure. Most of them, in a conversation with the representatives of the Public Defender, confirmed pressure and dismissal and explained the above by kinship, friendship, or good relations with members of the party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. (It should be noted that several of them, despite confirmation of pressure, refrained from giving their consent to the Public Defender's Office to examine their cases). The mentioned individuals were fired from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, municipal services, non-commercial legal entities as well as legal entities under public law established by various municipalities, and other public institutions, - is mentioned in the statement of the Public Defender. Read more…  Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) has presented today an interim report on monitoring of the official pre-election period for the 2021 local self-government elections. The report covers the period from August 3 through August 30, 2021, as well as those developments, which started to take place before August 3, continued within the monitoring period or became known during the monitoring period. It is noted in the report that:  “According to the observation of the organization, within the reporting period, there were revealed: 15 facts of forced dismissal/resignation from work on alleged political grounds, 11 facts of pressure/ intimidation/ obstruction on alleged political grounds, 13 facts of alleged use of administrative resources, 6 facts of agitation through social networks, 4 facts of alleged voter bribery, 8 facts of a campaign of incumbent officials. Besides, there were also detected a tendency used by the ruling party to hinder observation activities of representatives of ISFED throughout the country, as well as cases of direct and/or indirect coercion applied against people employed at educational institutions in order to engage them in the campaign of the “Georgian Dream”. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia and ISFED consider that the composition of organizations invited for selection of members of the CEC advisory group and the decision-making procedure cannot ensure selection of qualified and credible people on the basis of consensus. Organizations leave the process of selection of members of the advisory group. “It is unfortunate that, despite setting an ambitious electoral reform as a goal, both staffing the CEC with new members and selection of an advisory group have turned to be flawed and are likely going to fail to increase confidence in the election administration”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. ISFED will provide a legal assistance to those dismissed from work on alleged political grounds during the 2021 pre-election period. The organization has filed several lawsuits in common courts in order to protect interests of people fired from their jobs on discriminatory motives. ISFED will continue to provide free legal assistance to those dismissed from work on discriminatory grounds. “If you consider that you have been fired based on your political beliefs: Call - 0 800 100 143 or Write to us at - info@isfed.ge Lawyers of ISFED will provide a legal assistance and consultation to you throughout the country”. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. According to the information of the Transparency International Georgia the ruling Georgian Dream party, bypassing the Charles Michel Document, adopted a regulation that simplified the possibility of electing the CEC Chairperson and members by a simple parliamentary majority - 76 votes. “It looks like the process will end next week and three candidates backed by the ruling party will be selected by a simple parliamentary majority. This is not in line with the spirit of the so-called Charles Michel Document and shows that the ruling party does not aim to select persons for these important positions based on political consensus. Therefore, the lack of trust from the wide range of political parties and the public in the CEC will remain a problem”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) publishes a blog post of Mariam Latsabidze, an analyst of the organization: What should (not) be expected from the October 2 elections? “An electoral reform of 2021 is promising, however, it does not address existing challenges adequately because changes do not adjust rules of the game substantially”, - is stated in the blog post. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) offers a free service of legal assistance for the 2021 local self-government elections.                                    Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. European Union in Georgia and UNDP kicked off election monitoring of the Georgian media.  “The monitoring will go on throughout the entire electoral cycle, including an election campaign, election day and a post-election period (from July 2021 through March 2022). Covering 54 national and local media outlets, the monitoring will be implemented in partnership with Georgian civil society organizations: the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, Internews Georgia and CRRC-Georgia”. Read more… Source: www.ge.undp.org

Tbilisi. According to information released by the Women's Movement, on June 21, while reviewing the bill on amendments to the “Election Code of Georgia” of the Organic Law of Georgia through the second reading, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia substantially changed the rule of compiling party (proportional) lists for local self-government elections. As a result of the amendment a political party will be required to compile a party list for all local self-government elections, to be held until 2028, so that at least one out of three candidates is a representative of a different sex. According to the organization, this initiative substantially deteriorates the existing norm of the Electoral Code, which obliges a political party to have every second candidate of a different sex on its list submitted for general elections of local self-government bodies, to be held until 2028. Part of civil society organizations calls on the Parliament not to support the initiated amendment at the plenary session since it is going to weaken representation of women at the local level, hinder achievement of essential equality and fulfillment of international commitments. Read more… Source: The website of the Women’s Movement on a social network

Tbilisi. Chairman of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association has sent an address to members of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, in which he calls on Deputies to review planned amendments to the Law on Political Parties and the Election Code. The legislative initiative envisages termination or suspension of state funding for boycotting parties, as well as deprivation of free airtime from them. As it is known to the public, in March of the current year the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR came up with a joint opinion on these bills, in which they strongly criticized them. Organizations consider that termination of state funding for parties poses threat to the ability to continue their activities and, in general, to party pluralism. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has submitted a report on amendments to the Election Code to the Parliament. The organization supports improvement of the election legislation and reflection of a large part of the April 19 document of Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in it, however, GYLA has comments related to the bill on the following issues: Staffing of district commissions; Control of the will of the electorate; Electoral system of local self-government; Deadlines for appealing election disputes; Mandatory recount; Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) considers that the election of judge members of the High Council of Justice is an internal clan rotation. “Main challenge for the justice system today is clan governance and its alliance with the Government. Observation of this process over the years shows that it is mainly carried out in a non-competitive environment and, as a rule, results in electing leaders of an influential group of judges to the Council, most of whom hold or have held managerial positions for years. Elections are associated with renewal and new perspectives, however, in this case, expectations are groundless”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source:gyla.ge

Tbilisi. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) publishes a report: “Propaganda narratives on Facebook during the 2020 parliamentary elections”... “The report contains a review of an activity revealed on the basis of a study of Facebook sites spreading propaganda narratives on issues related to values and outlines both quantitative and qualitative findings. The report also includes a review of coordination of sites with election subjects, as well as an analysis of messages of sites disseminating propaganda narratives in line with political discourse and electoral processes”. Read more… Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. Visit the link to get familiarized with the Final Report on Social Media Monitoring for the 2020 Parliamentary Elections prepared by the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). “The report contains an analysis of main trends that took place in the social media space in Georgia from September 1 through November 21, 2020. In particular, it provides description of activities of official sites of political parties and candidates, registered in the elections, those of official sites of local self-government bodies, as well as results of observation on unofficial, anonymous sites, operating with political purposes, and other important trends aimed at influencing the will of voters in one way or another. Read more... Source: www.isfed.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) made a presentation of the report on “Analysis of Election Disputes”. “The purpose of the report is to identify main trends and legislative gaps that hinder the fair resolution of election disputes and create distrust in electoral processes. In the document, GYLA evaluates election disputes, related to the 2020 parliamentary elections, as during the pre-election period as well as on the polling day and afterwards. The report contains main shortcomings identified in the process of revision of election disputes. Besides, it includes an analysis of a problematic practice reflected in decisions made by election administrations and courts”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia has prepared a survey about which televisions were used by parties to place their political advertisements during the elections 2016-2020 years. “Political parties spend a considerable amount of money on TV political advertising during the pre-election period, which is a significant part of income of broadcasters. Within the framework of the present survey, we studied data related to TV political advertising carried out by political subjects during pre-election periods as part of 4 elections held in 2016-2020 years. In particular, we analyzed data submitted by political subjects to the Audit Office and the Central Election Commission. The practice of advertising by parties also shows the polarization that the Georgian political and media space is distinguished with”, - is stated in the introductory part of the survey. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has submitted its conclusion on changes in the Election Code to the Parliament. “The initiative envisages abolition of the election registration of the subject, a political leader participating in the pre-election campaign of which is a person who does not meet any of the censorships stipulated by the Constitution. Norms restricting freedom of parties require more rigorous test of accuracy and predictability than the one applied in regard to other, non-political unions. It is essential to make sure that the measure of liability, selected for the breach, is restraining, proportionate and directly related to the breach. Abolition of the election registration of a party without any alternative is not such a measure. GYLA calls on the Parliament to avoid appearance of those norms in the code, which impose blanket, disproportionate restrictions on political unions and contain threat of their unjustified and arbitrary disqualification, as well as to refrain from adoption of this bill”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: gyla.ge