‘Ballot Rigging Amounts to Political Suicide’ – Burjanadze
Ballot rigging would amount “to political suicide” and the authorities “will not let it happen,” Nino Burjanadze, the acting president, said on December 14.
She said that ruling party presidential candidate Mikheil Saakashvili’s extremely active election campaign demonstrated the authorities’ commitment to free elections.
“He [Saakashvili] has even lost his voice because he has held so many meetings every day,” Burjanadze said. “We wouldn’t have really bothered, if we had planned to rig the elections. We will not let it happen.”
On December 12 Burjanadze announced the establishment of an inter-agency task force to coordinate the government’s efforts to secure free elections. The group, which will function as a rapid response mechanism, linking governmental bodies with international and domestic election observers, is chaired by Justice Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili.
Meanwhile, Saakashvili was on the campaign trail in Samtskhe-Javakheti region on December 14. He spoke about his social initiatives to thousands of supporters gathered in the town of Borjomi.
