Misuse of Administrative Resources and Oppression Facts in Kakheti Before Elections

While assessing the snap presidential and parliamentary elections of 2008, both international and local monitoring missions stated that the misuse of the financial, institutional and other resources during the pre-election campaign was more problematic in Georgia. On April 16, 2010, ambassador of the OSCE Monitoring Mission to Georgia Audrey Glover said that “the OSCE will evaluate the municipality elections on May 30 in accordance to the Copenhagen Resolution.”  The Copenhagen document prohibits misuse of the administrative resources during the pre-election campaign. Despite that, the government actively uses the administrative resources.


In 2010, in comparison to 2007-2009, the number of the employees at the local self-governmental agencies and their salaries has significantly increased. For example, 21 new employees were hired in Sagarejo district administration and the budget for the salary was increased at 42 700 GEL; three new employees were recruited in the Gurjaani district administration though the salary budget was increased at 59 000 GEL; 86 new employees were hired in Lagodekhi district administration – they work mostly in territorial entities; the salary budget was increased at 99 500 GEL.

In 2010, most districts increased the expenses for the administrations of village governors. The changes in the personnel were carried out before the parliamentary elections of 2008 too. In 2009 (non-election year) nothing was changed in this direction in district administrations.

In Sighnaghi district, some events are funded only before the elections. After the elections, the funding is significantly reduced or cancelled at all. 70 % of the infrastructural expenses envisaged in the 2010 budget of Sighnaghi district is spent in March-June, 1 678 700 GEL shall be spent out of the total 2 242 500 GEL that was allocated for the development of the infrastructure. 62 500 GEL for the construction of houses was allocated only for March. 58 % of the social and healthcare funds, that is 174 200 GEL out of total 300 500 GEL, is allocated for February-May. The funding in the upcoming months is seriously reduced. In Lagodekhi district 222 300 GEL is allocated for the first and second quarters for the social and healthcare programs; while only 155 600 GL is allocated for the third and fourth quarters. In Gurjaani district, 13 various social and healthcare programs are being implemented. The same happened in 2008. In 2007 and 2009, only 9 social and healthcare programs were implemented in the district. Since March 1, 2010, public transport has been free in Telavi district; 50 000 GEL is allocated for the purpose. Last year, similar initiative was not carried out. Besides that, funding the public transport is not within the competence of the local government.



The Election Code of Georgia does not ban the public servants to take part in the election propaganda if they are not implementing their professional activities. However, the Code does not clarify the meaning of the exception when the servant cannot take part in the election propaganda. That’s why, the issue has often become the topic of disagreement between the government and non-governmental organizations. In order not to encourage NGOS to blame the government in misuse of the administrative resources during the pre-election campaign, the public servants are on holidays.

16 employees of the Akhmeta district administration are on holiday; 31 employees - from Dedoplistskaro district administration, 37 from Kvareli district administration; 40 – from Lagodekhi district administration; 47 – from Telavi district administration and 50 – from Gurjaani district administration. Among them, only several are candidates in the municipality elections; the rest work in the election HQs of the National Movement. Kakheti regional governor Giorgi Ghviniashvili is the head of the regional HQ of the National Movement; he has been on holiday since April 30.

Commissaries of all territorial entities in Kvareli district have been on holiday since May 1. They are busy with pre-election propaganda in favor of the ruling party in the villages.

“There are 11 commissaries in the district and all of them have been on holiday since May 1. I cannot tell you why they all went on holiday before the elections. Maybe they really needed it,” said the interim district governor Gia Tsintsadze.

Gurjaani district deputy governor Goga Petruzashvili is interim district governor. Second deputy governor Shota Utiashvili has been on holiday since May 3. The head of the administration Vasil Utiashvili and specialist of the social department Eka Nakvekharashvili have also been on holiday. Petruzashvili is busy receiving citizens. The employees of the district administration send the citizens, who apply them for single social allowances, to the election HQ of the National Movement. The officials of the district administration listen to the citizens in the office of the ruling party and promise them their assistance. They write applications to the interim district governor for them and send them back to the administration. Activists call on the citizens to vote for the National Movement and in exchange of it they promise them financial assistance after the elections.

Lawyer for the non-governmental organization Human Rights Center LIa Khuroshvili said the district administrations are completely paralyzed. “We cannot get public information on time and they explain the delay by the vacations of the officials responsible for the public information. Besides that, as a result of monitoring, we found out that employees of the territorial entities, those who are on holidays and those who are not, visit villages and collect ID numbers of the voters. In parallel to it, the citizens cannot find anybody in the village administrations when they go there to get some notifications or documents,” said Lia Khuroshvilil.


The National Council remained without party list in Kvareli district. Coordinator of the National Council in the district Lado Bozhadze said the political repressions of the government have become very active against their candidates.

According to Bozhadze, as a result of the oppression, the National Council will not have candidates in Kvareli district and the proportional election list will also be canceled. “As a result of the oppression from the district governor Levan Gamsakhurdia and head of police department Temur Gurahsivli, candidate from Akhalsopeli village Mzia Khutuashvili and candidate from Mtisdziri village Aneta Mghebrishvili cancelled their candidatures. It is noteworthy, that the father of the minister of justice of Georgia Zurab Adeishvili –Shalva Adeishvili is candidate from the National Movement in the village of Mtisdziri; in Akhalsopeli village the head of the district office of the public registry and close relative of the MP Marika Verulashvili Tamaz Gugoshvili is the candidate; that means these people will win the municipality elections and become members of the municipality board; nobody will oppose them from then opposition parties in the elections,” said Bozhadze.

Candidate of the Alliance for Georgia in the village of Saniore in Telavi district Dali Sakuashvili blames the chairwoman of the election commission of the polling station # 29 Ia Chincharashvili and her deputy Ketevan Saakashvili in the oppression on the secretary.

Sakuashviloi said the head of the commission demanded the secretary to resign; otherwise they threatened her with imposing the bail of 1 500 GEL on her,

“Secretary Lida Solomnishvili is member of the Republic Party and it is their problem. The chairwoman and the deputy of the commission compel her to resign and be only the commission members. Solomnishvili refused but I do not know how long she will endure the oppression. They have appointed secretaries by the quotas of the political parties Entrepreneurs and By Ourselves who in fact are the activists of the National Movement. So, here they cannot stand independent secretary and do their best to get rid of her before the elections,” said the single mandate candidate. Lida Solomnishvili does not comment on the oppression facts.

Chairman of the Telavi district election commission Davit Mklavishvili said he has no information about the oppression on the secretary of the election commission in Saniore village. “I met the secretary several times but she has not told me anything about it,” said Mklavishvili.

According to the Akhmeta district office of the Alliance for Georgia, single mandate candidate of the National Movement in the village of Zemo Alvani oppresses the pupils of the 12th form at the public school who can vote in the elections.

“Beso Kizilashvili is the specialist of the military recruitment and registration service agency. Although he is on holiday, he misuses his position and oppresses the children. He threatens them with recruitment unless they vote for the National Movement. After that, the adults will not be able to enter the universities,” said representative of the Alliance Zaza Lagazidze.

Several pupils of the public school in Zemo Alvani confirmed the information about oppression from Kizilashvili in private conversation with us. Kizilashvili does not confirm the fact himself. “Let us check the information together and we will see that nobody will confirm it. I do not care what the pupils tell you in my absence,“ said Kizilashvili.

Executive secretary of the Telavi office of the Christian-Democrat Movement Vano Galakhvaridze blames the teachers in oppression on the parents.

“At public schools in Telavi district, teachers hold meetings where the parents are psychologically oppressed to vote for the National Movement. Similar meeting was held in the public school of the village of Kondoli and I know that the teachers and particularly the administration of the school oppressed the parents,” said Galakhvaridze.

He said most of the election commissions in the polling stations are teachers; school directors are leaders of the election HQs of the National Movement.

The representatives of the Telavi district educational resource-center denied the accusations of the Christian-Democrats.

It is noteworthy that the head of the resource-center Tina Javakhishvili is the second number on the election list of the ruling party. The lawyer of the resource center Levan Badashvili is also on the list.


Governor of the village Karajala in Telavi district Amiran Suleimanov collected IDs of the villagers. The locals said he explained the collection of the IDs by the intended distribution of the humanitarian aid in the village.

The head of the Telavi district office of the Movement for the Just Georgia Zaza Abashidze said Suleimanov needed the IDs not for the humanitarian aid but for the election manipulations.

“A woman from Telavi is going to distribute humanitarian clothes in the village and we collected the IDs for that reason,” said Suleimanov to us.

Agitators of the National Movement collect IDs in Kvareli district too. “They do not say why they need the IDs and put down ID numbers on the papers. In parallel to it, they are persuading people to vote for the ruling party,” said the head of the Kvareli district election HQ of the Alliance Nugzar Ghoniashvili.

In Besiki Street in Kvareli, agitators of the National Movement and several citizens had quarrel. The residents of the Besiki Street refused the activists of the ruling party Tsiala Kuchukhidze and Baghatarashvili to show their IDs. After that, the agitators insulted the citizens and it turned into a serious quarrel.