Ruling Party, CDM Offer Free Ferrying of Supporters to Polling Stations

The ruling National Movement party and Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) said on May 29 that they had hired buses and mini-buses to transport thier supporters to the polling stations during the Sunday’s local elections.

According to the information posted on the National Movement’s website, the party has hired 1,164 vehicles countrywide for this purpose, including 85 for Tbilisi.

The same announcement was also made on May 29 by CDM, a leading party in the parliamentary minority group, whose Tbilisi mayoral candidate is Giorgi Chanturia. CDM said that free transport for supporters would be available in Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi and Batumi.

A similar practice of ferrying supporters to polling stations was used by the ruling party during the January, 2008 presidential and May, 2008 parliamentary elections, triggering allegations that the authorities were in fact resorting to, what is known, ‘merry-go-round’ voting, whereby an individual casts several ballots in different polling stations.

Senior MP from the ruling party, Pavle Kublashvili, said on May 29 that the process would be transparent. Number plates of vehicles, the ruling party said it had hired, are posted on the National Movement’s website.

Vice-Speaker of the Parliament Levan Vepkhvadze of CDM said on May 29 that helping supporters to reach polling stations was a positive decision as it would increase voter turnout.

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