Election Campaign Officially Kicks Off

The election campaign for the October 28 presidential elections has officially kicked off on August 29, imposing a set of legal obligations on participants, among them restrictions on use of administrative resources.

According to the Election Code of Georgia, electoral subjects are eligible to produce election slogans, statements, inscriptions, photo materials, etc. They also may present programs for their further activities. However, these programs should not contain propaganda for war or violence, calls for changing or overthrowing the constitutional and social order by violence, as well as calls for violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity, for ethnic strife and hatred, religious or ethnic confrontation.

From the moment that the elections are officially called by the President’s decree until the publication of final results of elections, it is prohibited for the nominees and their supporters (parties or initiating groups) to give out money, gifts, and other material possessions to the citizens of Georgia personally or through other persons; to sell goods at a preferential price or disseminate them free of charge, according to the Election Code.

Parties and/or initiative groups may apply CEC to formally nominate a candidate until September 8. Registration of those electoral subjects that will be found to carry out prohibited activities will be revoked by a court decision, according to the election legislation.

On October 28, Georgian citizens will head to polls to elect their fifth president for a six-year term. This will be the last time that the head of state will be elected through direct ballot. According to the new constitution, which will enter into force following the presidential elections, the new President will be elected by the 300-member Electoral College for a term of five years. Applications of 32 persons willing to run for presidency have been submitted to the Central Election Commission as of today.

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