TBILISI, August 11 – The United National Movement (UNM) will ignore a decision by authorities to change the opposition party’s ballot number.
UNM lost its official ballot number – in use for decades – for the upcoming October 4 local elections, after failing to register with the Central Election Commission (CEC).
UNM figure Irakli Pavlenishvili dismissed the CEC’s move as irrelevant while the party is boycotting elections it claims are not free or fair. He argued that once democracy is restored, the party will return to the ballot with the same number and expects most voters to back it.
UNM’s number ‘5’ has long been part of the party’s political branding, also when the party was in power (2003-2012). During the Saakashvili presidency, UNM was criticized for having government bodies subtly promote the logo in election campaigns.
Pavlenishvili suggested the current ruling party is trying to erase UNM’s political identity through legal measures, but insisted they will keep using the ‘5’ symbol on banners and materials.
Another group, the Coalition for Change, also lost its number due to formalities.
The CEC says 17 parties have registered to take part in the October municipal elections, with five of them keeping the same ballot numbers they used in last year’s parliamentary vote.
Government supporters point out that registration deadlines and procedures apply equally to all parties, and that UNM’s loss of its ballot number is a direct result of its own decision not to register. Critics counter that Georgia’s political climate leaves the opposition with little trust in the electoral process.
