Election Watchdogs Report Interim Findings

Tight timeframe of the local self-governance elections scheduled for October 5 triggered major problems during the pre-election period, while inaccuracies in the voter list remains an issue which needs to be addressed, interim reports by local and international observation groups say.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which has deployed its limited election observation mission ahead of polls in Georgia, said in an interim report that although the technical preparations for the election are underway, “the CEC faces difficulties meeting the tight legal deadlines.”

Elections date was announced by the authorities on September 27, which “put the election administration under a significant time constraint, and the CEC has not been able to meet some legal deadlines.’

“The CEC failed to address an ambiguity in the Unified Election Code, with regard to the requirement to open campaign funds, in a consistent and a timely manner. As a result, some majoritarian candidates were denied registration. Ultimately, in some local majoritarian districts only one candidate was left on the ballot,” ODIHR’s interim report says.

International observers also note that District Election Commission in some regions are located in the same building as the local executive bodies (Gamgeoba), in other regions, the office of the ruling National Movement party is located in the Gamgeoba building.

“This contributes to blurring the distinction between the District Election Commissions, the local administration and the ruling party,” ODIHR report says.

Some opposition parties, including a coalition of Republican and Conservative parties accused the ruling party officials of carrying out “instructions” to the election administration members in number of regions including in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic. 

Local observers also note the same problem, but say that unlike in previous years, the CEC is more enthusiastic to cooperate with the election watchdog groups and political parties.

“Despite number of problems there is a progress. There is clear readiness of the CEC and lower level election administrations to cooperate. But few districts remain anyway where election officials totally ignore any cooperation,” Koki Ionatamishvili of the local election watchdog group New Generation-New Initiative nGnI told Civil Georgia.

But he also said that number of precinct election commissions is not technically well-prepared for elections.

Inaccuracies in the voter lists remain another major problem ahead of polls.

Officially announced number of voters – 3 201 168 – “constitutes a significant increase over past elections,” the ODHIR report says.

“In Tbilisi, the OSCE/ODIHR LEOM [Limited Election Observation Mission] has noted that in every city district a number of voters, varying from a few dozen to more than a thousand appear on the voters list without their addresses indicated,” according to the report.

The opposition parties have also expressed lack of confidence in the voter list accuracy.

Election watchdog group nGnI said that margin of error in the voter lists reaches 8%. But another local observer organization International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy said margin of error is even higher.

But the CEC has downplayed concerns.

“In every country the margin of error in the voter lists varies from 2% to 8%. So our voter list fully corresponds to the international standard,” Guram Chalagashvili, the CEC Chairman, said on September 25.

Media Coverage

ODIHR’s observation mission has noted a low-key campaign ahead of polls, but said the incumbent Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava is highly visible.

“Parallel to his election campaign, State and municipal authorities launched highly advertised social aid programmes,” the report says.

There has been only limited visibility of election-related events in the media.

“However, social aid programmes and other activities of the authorities have received extensive coverage,” the ODIHR report said.

According to the report the Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 television has dedicated 36% and 30% of its political prime time news to the government and to the President, respectively. 1st Channel of the Public Television had a similar coverage of the two aforementioned subjects as Rustavi 2 TV.

“The coverage of the authorities by both channels was largely neutral or positive in tone. The newspapers have so far offered its readers a more critical approach. However, they reach out to only a limited readership due to a relatively low circulation,” the report says.