TI Georgia Barred from Direct Election Monitoring, Vows to Continue Fight for Fair Elections
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) has announced that it will not be able to monitor the upcoming October 26 parliamentary elections under its own name. This comes after the Tbilisi City Court upheld a decision by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which declared TI Georgia and its Executive Director, Eka Gigauri, as entities with declared electoral goals.
Despite the court ruling, TI Georgia noted that legal proceedings are still ongoing in an effort to invalidate the Anti-Corruption Bureau's decision. The organization expressed concern about being treated as a political party, even though it does not participate in elections.
"TI Georgia refuses to recognize the above-mentioned status that was imposed on us in an absolutely illegal manner. We would like to stress once again that neither the organization nor its executive director are running for election," the statement said.
This designation subjects TI Georgia and its Executive Director to the same regulations that apply to political parties, including setting up an election fund, restrictions on receiving Western funding, and submitting financial reports like political parties. The organization highlighted that these demands are unjustified: "None of our representatives appear in any political party lists. Therefore, we refuse to comply with the requirements imposed by the Georgian Dream's Anti-Corruption Bureau."
The watchdog believes the decision is aimed at blocking its election monitoring efforts, saying, "We have no doubt that this decision is directed against the watchdog's efforts to observe the elections through a coalition and the observation mission 'My Voice.'"
Although TI Georgia has not officially lost its status as an election observer, the organization revealed, "We are in effect unable to directly observe the October 26 parliamentary elections on behalf of Transparency International Georgia." They further stressed, "This is the first time in the 24 years of TI Georgia's existence that we will not have a single observer registered under our name at the polling stations."
However, the organization remains committed to supporting election observation efforts through alternative channels: "Every employee of the organization will use its experience, knowledge, and intellectual resources to assist the observation mission 'My Voice' and to help our partner organizations conduct a highly qualified election observation mission."
TI Georgia reaffirmed its determination to fight for fair elections and Georgia's European future: "We continue to fight for the European future of our homeland! We will protect everyone's votes!"
