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Edited and co-written by William King

Who should be responsible for providing for a fair election environment?

Who should secure the election process and who should be responsible for ensuring that the elections are held fairly– the opposition or the government? In a statement released by the European Union, EU officials have stressed that the responsibility lies with both the government and the opposition to ensure proper conduct and therefore the legitimacy of the elections. “The electoral law has to be respected, and it must be applied in a way that maintains confidence in the fairness of the electoral process and the rule of law,” it says.

Rezonansi posed the question: who is responsible for providing a fair election environment?

Tamriko Chokhonelidze (singer): There has been so much election fraud in the past, that society no longer trusts the opposition or the government. I do not know whether the opposition has any leverage in this regard, but I think there should be some responsibility on the opposition. Of course the government must do more too.

Nika Kavtaradze (producer): Any entity that participates in the election is responsible for the quality of the democracy the elections entail.

Zura Khachidze: (singer): The government has more resources and therefore, it is its responsibility to ensure a democratic electoral environment. However, the opposition should also be held responsible for ensuring the proper conduct of the election campaign. So, I think that first of all, the government should conduct fair and democratic elections and should not abuse administrative resources.