Int’l Observers Release Second Interim Election Report

• Media lacks balance;
• Campaign atmosphere calm;
• Candidates run mainly issue-based campaign;
• ‘Lack of confidence in the election process’

The atmosphere has been calm, despite isolated incidents, in run up to the May 30 local elections with most of the contenders carrying out “issue-based” campaigning, according to the second interim report by international election observation mission.

The interim report by OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which has deployed its observation mission in April, covers the period between May 4 and May 15.

The report notes that many contestants show “lack of confidence in the election process.” According to the report the observation mission was informed by some opposition parties and local observer groups about allegations on pressure on opposition candidates to withdraw from the elections, including threats of job loss; illegal campaigning by state officials; and unequal access to administrative resources to the advantage of the ruling National Movement party.

The report notes about the case, which took place on May 3 and in which governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, Zaza Gorozia, and some other local officials and law enforcement officers were implicated to pressuring local candidates of the Freedom Party to withdraw from the race in Mestia. A video footage emerged last week showing armed policemen outside the administrative building in Mestia at the time when opposition candidates were said to be inside the building facing officials’ intimidation. Relatives and supporters of the candidates were gathered outside the administrative building demanding release of the candidates.

According to the report the Governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region went on leave from his duties following the incident and the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for Free and Fair Elections (IATF) informed OSCE/ODIHR observation mission that it recommended the prosecutor’s office to take up the matter.

The government has launched 70-second long TV spot in which PM Nika Gilauri warns public officials that pressure against contestants, bribing voters, misleading voters by telling them that voting privacy would not be observed and other election-related wrongdoings are punishable under the law.

The interim report says that “the distinction between the state and the governing party is sometimes blurred.”

“According to the Unified Election Code, public officials are permitted to campaign outside of their normal duties. Many, including senior public officials, have taken leave in order to campaign for the UNM [the ruling United National Movement party],” the report reads.

According to the report the Central Election Commission (CEC) and District Election Commissions (DECs) “are transparent and cooperative.”

Media
 
Preliminary media monitoring by the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission, covering the period of April 18–May 12 “indicate a lack of balance in the prime-time news coverage of political subjects and candidates on most monitored television channels, with some supporting the government and others the opposition.”

According to the report only the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s (GPB) First Channel “offered its viewers a more balanced picture of the campaign in its prime-time news programs.”

The public broadcaster’s First Channel devoted 19% of its political and election news to the ruling party and 13% to the Alliance for Georgia. Christian-Democratic Movement and the National Council received 12% of coverage each, according to the report.

The two most popular TV channels Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV demonstrated their support for the ruling party and its Tbilisi mayoral candidate Gigi Ugulava.

“Both channels also devoted extensive and favorable coverage to the activities of authorities, outside the campaign context, indirectly benefiting candidates with a pro-government orientation,” the report reads.

The same trend was observed in coverage of yet another nationwide broadcaster, a state-run Adjara TV, according to the report.

Real TV, which goes out on cable in Tbilisi, has demonstrated “a clear bias in favor of the UNM and against the opposition.”

Two other TV channels with area of coverage mainly limited with the capital city, Kavkazia TV and TV Maestro, “by contrast, have so far served as a platform for the opposition, in particular the Alliance for Georgia.”

According to the report only the ruling party mayoral candidate Gigi Ugulava has so far been able to place paid spots on Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV, where political ad prices are about ten times expensive than usual commercials.

The candidates are extensively using free advertisement airtime allocated by broadcasters. According to the law ‘qualified’ political parties (as election code describes them) – those that won at least 4% of the vote in the last parliamentary elections and at least 3% of the vote in the last local elections –  must be granted 30 seconds of free airtime for every hour by private television stations and 60 seconds by the public broadcaster.  While not legally obliged to do so, the public broadcaster’s First Channel also offers free airtime to so called ‘unqualified’ Tbilisi mayoral candidates.

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