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Why the Gori Municipality City Hall purchased advertising monitors in the pre-election period

May 28, 2020
 
Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

Gori municipality city hall paid 148 320 GEL to purchase and install two advertising monitors in the city center and in the theater square. Few months later, one of the monitors went out of order. On May 26, the Independence Day of Georgia, the information video-roll about the Independence Day was transmitted with some problems all day long and the citizens protested it. 

“They congratulated us the Independence Day from the damaged monitor; nothing was seen on it. All day long, nobody paid attention to it and did not try to find out what was wrong with the monitor, though they paid quite a large sum on it from the municipal budget,” civil activist Nika Tsikaridze said. 

Member of the municipal assembly from the United National Movement Vasilisa Jabakhidze said the Gori municipality mayor spends the money from the municipal budget according to his own wishes and Mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili is also responsible for the poor quality of the monitors like the company, which won the tender. 

“The city hall purchased these monitors from the Ltd ONG for 148 320 GEL. One of the monitors is also out of order; however the same company has won another 800 000 GEL tender of the municipality city hall. Consequently, the company will install attractions in the Gori Park of Culture and Rest. When the Ltd ONG implements works with poor quality, they must check the quality of the purchased and installed attractions to avoid similar incidents in future,” Vasilisa Jabakhidze said and added that alongside the unreasonable expenditure of municipal funds, we observe misuse of administrative financial resources for pre-election purposes. She is sure that the election video-rolls of the Georgian Dream will be transmitted on the monitors. 

“In fact, they purchased these monitors for the election period, to transmit the election clips of the Georgian Dream and they spent about 150 000 GEL from the municipal budget. Today, there are many problems in the municipality and instead resolving them, the city hall shows videos about happy Georgia from the monitors. As a rule, business companies purchase the advertising monitors but the Gori municipality city mayor decided that they have resolved all problems and started business activities,” Jabakhidze said. 

Gori municipality city mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili said they purchased the monitors to inform the local population about the activities implemented by the Government of Georgia and mostly they will show information about the projects implemented in the municipality. Konstantine Tavzarashvili said, before the elections, the election clips of all political parties will be shown on the monitors, who will pay money for it. 

“If the Georgian Dream pays money, we will show their election clips, why not?! If the UNM will pay money, or the European Georgia, we will show their clips too. Why should not we release their clips if it will bring additional funds to the municipal budget?! One day we will release the clips of the Georgian Dream, next day – UNM’s clips and third day – the clips of the European Georgia, etc. Whoever will pay money for this service, we will show the election clips of all political parties,” Gori municipality city mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili said, who confirmed that one of the monitors is out of order but the warranty period is still active and the company will repair it in a few days. 

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