Ruling Party Denies it Violated Election Code

Ruling National Party officials admitted that they provided voters with minivans to help them get to the polling stations on election day on October 1.

Influential MP from the National Movement Giga Bokeria said at a news conference on October 1 that this fact can not be regarded as a violation of the election code, because the law prohibits political parties from carrying out campaigning outside of the media sources on the election day.

?This kind of activity [dispatching minivans to transport voters] is not a violation and it can be done by any political party, including the National Movement,? MP Bokeria said.

Georgian television stations showed several minivans and buses with posters of Bidzina Bregadze, the National Movement?s nomination, who was running for MP by-elections in the Tbilisi?s Isani constituency, moving in the Isani district on October 1.

Bokeria also commented on reported problems over the voter lists. He said that a voter, who has not participated in the recent elections and did not undergo pre-election registration ?can not be in the voter list and this is not a violation.?

?It should be considered as a violation if a voter who participated in previous elections and underwent registration has not found himself/herself on the list. As far as we know, only a few such cases have been reported so far,? he added.

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