UNM_commercial

The commercials claim Georgian Dream has broken its promises. (Frame from UNM’s commercial.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Public Broadcaster has turned down the National Movement party’s request to place free election commercial on its channels.

According to a statement by the UNM, the party provided six commercials, one of which was about the ‘unfulfilled promises of the Georgian Dream coalition.’

Three days after the application, GPB sent a letter denying the party to air the commercials, arguing that the commercials violate the Election Code.

“We think the decision of the Public Broadcaster is a continuation of pressure from the government,” the UNM statement reads. “We also think that this refusal interrupts the United National Movement from normally conducting an election campaign and doesn’t comply with the principles of a democratic, free and fair election.”

GPB responded with a statement explaining that the commercials must meet the regulations of Georgian legislation and only one of the UNM’s commercials meets these criteria. According to the statement, the rest of the commercials didn’t provide a clear identification of which election subject was behind it.


“The Public Broadcaster underlines that we will place the commercial as soon as the commercials clearly identify election subjects,” the statement reads, calling for every political subject to follow the regulations of the Election Code and the law on broadcasting.

UNM’s video commercials contain statements by the Georgian Dream coalition and its promises about industry and jobs. Each clip ends with the sentence ‘wasn’t fulfilled, dream is not working.’ The commercials also have a text saying that 76 of the 83 promises by the coalition haven’t been fulfilled, six are in the process of being fulfilling and one was fulfilled.