Public Defender Demands to Punish Director of “Tbilkalakganateba”

Sozar Subari, Public Defender, recommended chairperson of Central Election Commission to issue a criminal report on Lado Kvichidze, the head of “Tbilkalakganateba” (Tbilisi Electro Distribution Company) who gave instructions to tear down election posters of Eka Beselia, single mandate candidate.

According to Public defender’s office, on 5 April 2008 employees of Gldani-Nadzaladevi district department of the Tbilkalakganateba stated that they removed posters of Eka Beselia’s party from street light posts in Guramishvili Avenue, near metro station Ghrmaghele. They followed the orders given by Lado Kvichidzer.

Candidate of Election Bloc “United Opposition – National Council New Right” Eka Beselia’s election HQ provided a video material to the Public Defender, and it demonstrates the incident.

According to the Article 75, Paragraph 4 of the Election Code, it is forbidden to paste posters on cultural buildings, also in the interior and exterior of governmental offices, courts, prosecutor’s office, military unit building and on road signs. The same rule enables self governmental bodies to introduce some limits on certain buildings based on its architectural or cultural value.

Georgian government’s resolution # 140, Article 2 on “the permission of construction and permission conditions” explains clearly which construction can be a building. According to this explanation street light posts are not building. It is linear system located on the ground that is used for lightening. Sticking election poster on constructions is not forbidden. Street light posts are not cultural monument to damage their architectural values.
   
Public Defender considers that tearing down Eka Beselia’s posters before finishing election campaign means to prevent the distribution of pre-election materials, which do not give chance voters to get information about concrete candidate or a party.

As Georgian Election Commission has to draw up a report on committed administrative crime, according to the Article 179, Public Defender recommended Levan Tarkhnishvili the chairperson of CEC, to draw a report on administrative crime on lado Kvichadze and the workers of “Tbilkalakganateba” who tore down Eka beselia’s election posters.

Source: media news