TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Dream, the strongest competitor to the party of Presidential Mikheil Saakashvili, calls on foreign diplomats and international organizations in Tbilisi to react ‘correctly and adequately’ regarding ongoing political processes in Georgia.
Elections
Plan for Georgian election observers still pending
TBILISI, DFWatch – It is still unknown when international observers will start monitoring the election in Georgia.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 1, but long-term observsers have not yet arrived in the country.
Local rights groups have for months
3.6 million voters will decide election in Georgia
TBILISI, DFWatch – There are 3 621 256 voters in Georgia, according to Central Election Commission’s (CEC) preliminary data, which was published today.
According to the CEC, there are 84 election districts in the country. The majority of voters,155 502, are from
Who is to blame for election violence in Georgia?
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia, the government’s main competitor, Georgian Dream, claims that they support fair and free elections and accuses the government of attempting to provoke civil confrontation.
Georgian Dream released this statement on Monday as a response
U.N. Envoy criticizes Georgia for not respecting human rights
TBILISI, DFWatch – A United Nations envoy says the new party finance rules Georgia introduced in December are a violation of human rights.
Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai says that ‘they at times use ambiguous language, are fuelling an overall climate of distrust, and
Georgia increases subsidy for political ads
TBILISI, DFWatch – The government in Georgia increases the state funding of political TV ads to create a more level playing field for this year’s election. But analysts say it’s not enough. An extra 2.2 million laris, or nearly 1.3 million US dollars, will be set aside in the state budget for subsidized political advertisements. … Read more
Opposition must return tycoon’s gifts
TBILISI, DFWatch – The political partners of the Georgian tycoon turned opposition leader will have to return the money they received from him. Otherwise, they must give it to the state. This is the consequence of a new bill approved by parliament on Wednesday at the third and last hearing. The final version of the … Read more
Access to media crucial in 2012 election
TBILISI, DFWatch – As a bundle of election related bills are up for final review in parliament, it became clear Tuesday that the ruling party is against a proposal prepared by media workers about how to conduct monitoring of media fairness during the election campaign. The proposal concerns changes to the Election Code and the … Read more
NGOs warn: unfair election system
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tuesday Georgia’s new election system should have been passed in parliament, but the package of bills was stopped in the last minute by a group of rights activists, who warned of potential problems. The groups are sounding the alarm that the new election system does not create a level playing field. Several … Read more
Delay in electoral roll check
TBILISI, DFWatch – As less than a year is left until Georgians will go to the polls again, the government should have been moving ahead with a commission to go through the electoral roll, following a rush law amendment, but as of now the commission has not yet been set up. To have such a … Read more