Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Batumi City Hall Warned Political Parties

June 2, 2014
 
Maka Malakmadze, Adjara

Supervision service at the Batumi City Hall sent warning letters to the political parties participating in the upcoming local self-governmental elections about their possible fining. Political parties have two days to remove election posters from the prohibited areas in Batumi. 

Unlike previous elections, supervision unit of the Batumi City Hall started implementation of its duties before June 15, 2014 Local Governmental Elections. They sent warning letters to the political parties to remove election posters from the prohibited places. 

“The Batumi City Council allocated places for election posters. Unfortunately, very often the regulations are breached. Almost every political party equally breached the law,” head of the supervision unit at the Batumi City Hall Gocha Dzneladze said at the special briefing.

In accordance to the law, initial fine for pasting election posters in prohibited areas is 50 lari; for the second fact fine is 500 lari; if election poster is put up in the territory of culture heritage the political party will be fined with 200 lari but in the repeated case with 1000 lari.

It is noteworthy that during pre-election period Batumi City Council amended the resolution about election posters. The council members unanimously supported the amendments at the April 24 session.

According to the previous edition of the law, election posters were allowed to put up only on special boards in the vicinities of the Old Batumi. For June 15 Local Governmental Elections, posters can be put up on the facades of the political party offices too; physical persons will be allowed to put up posters of their favorite election subjects on the windows of their flats or private shops but only from inside. As for other buildings, old regulations are still in force and agitation materials cannot be put up on the buildings in the Old Batumi.

Posters from 2013 Presidential Elections are still on the walls in Batumi streets. Humanrights.ge published an article about the problem in December, 2013 but the situation has not changed. Head of supervision unit at the Batumi City Hall said he had not noticed any posters from previous elections in the city. 

Head of Batumi office of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association Gia Kartsivadze said the supervision unit is breaching law. “You can still find posters from past elections. The legal norm obliges the supervision unit to order corresponding political party to remove posters, and if the order is not executed, they must fine the political party but it is not done in reality. Consequently, disciplinary responsibility must be imposed over the head of the supervision unit – he shall be dismissed from job.”

News