Ruling Party Wins All But One Run-offs, Opposition Announces Protests
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, November 1
The ruling part of Georgia, Georgian Dream, won 19 out of 20 mayoral districts in Georgia, including the capital city, Tbilisi.
The chief of the Central Election Commission, Giorgi Kalandarishvili said that the election was competitive, free, and transparent. On the other hand, independent monitoring organizations, for example, Transparency International, announced that they had identified up to 150 violations during the election day.
The head of the largest opposition party, United National Movement, UNM, Nika Melia said that he was denouncing the elections and called on his supporters to gather in Tbilisi to agree with a plan for the future.
Melia, who was Tbilisi Mayoral candidate, said that no one in the country should have the illusion that they can get away with 'rigged, violent, and insulting elections'. Second rounds were held in 20 municipalities in the country. This includes four major cities of the country, as well as the smallest towns. The opposition only managed to win one municipality, Tsalenjikha.
While the ruling party celebrated its win in the elections, several international organizations, as well as opposition representatives made critical comments.
The leader of Girchi - More Freedom wrote on Facebook that the elections were rigged and as a result, Georgia has a non-legitimate government, and with this, thinking about the further development of the country is unimaginable.
According to the OSCE/ODIHR, the second round of local elections was well administered, but continued polarization and heightened negative rhetoric negatively affected the process.
The head of the mission, Albert Jonsson, said election day was generally calm, although people mobilized outside the polling stations and observers acting as party supporters were concerned.
According to the OSCE/ODIHR, candidates generally had the opportunity to run the campaign freely, but there were complaints of intimidation and pressure. At the same time, they said, inequality in resources and the inadequate advantage of being in power played an additional role in favor of the ruling party and shifted the scales on its side.
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, ISFED, observed the second round of local self-government elections in 8 different municipalities, including 5 self-governing cities and 3 self-governing communities. The organization revealed various irregularities, including violations of control, agitation, deliberate cancellation of ballot papers, and so on.
ISFED considers the second round of self-government elections to be a missed opportunity for the democratic development of the country. According to the ISFED chair, the trends revealed on election day have damaged confidence in the electoral process.
The leader of the UNM, Nika Melia, announced a rally that was held yesterday at 7 on Rustaveli avenue. Melia said that he and his team would visit Batumi, Kutaisi, and other cities in Georgia to meet with supports and discuss the next steps.
