19 October 2017, 16:15
Georgian observers report pre-election pressure on opposition
Georgia has fixed facts of intimidation of oppositionists and dismissals of them for political reasons, reports the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). In their turn, authorities announce "an unprecedentedly calm" election campaign.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that municipal elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 21. They will be monitored by 20,000 local and 600 international observers, said Anna Mikeladze, the press speaker of the Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC).
On October 19, the ISFED published its third report on pre-election monitoring, covering the period from September 26 to October 16.
The ISFED is an independent non-profit organization (NPO), set up in 1995 to monitor elections.
Law violations are increasingly threatening the process of free elections, said Mikhail Benidze, the head of the ISFED, noting that the above report specifies specific examples of campaigning in social networks, in particular, on the Facebook.
According to the non-governmental organization (NGO) “Transparency International-Georgia”, in the course of campaigning for the municipal elections in Georgia, they fixed officials’ agitation for the ruling “Georgian Dream” Party.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Galina Gotua Source: CK correspondent
