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

Human Rights Center about ongoing local self-governmental elections

June 15, 2014
 
 
Human Rights Center observed local elections with 28 observers in the villages of ethnic minorities in Kakheti region and in the villages of Sachkhere district, Imereti region close to conflict areas.

More precisely, Human Rights Center has sent observers in the villages of ethnic Azerbaijan citizens in Sagarejo and Telavi districts: Iormuganlo, Duzagrama, Keshalo, Lambalo, Napareuli, Karajala and in the villages of ethnic Kist and Chechen citizens in Akhmeta district. Observers also work in the villages of Perevi, Sinaguri, Tskhomareti, Tedeleti, Jria, Chala and Speti in Sachkhere district – the villages border with conflict region.

Mobile groups of observers from Human Rights Center are equipped with cameras and actively document ongoing polling procedures. Online edition of the organization www.humanrights.ge permanently updates information about elections based on the reports provided by observers.

Local self-governmental election was carried out in mostly peaceful environment. The observed violations cannot hinder polling process or have impact on final results. Human Rights Center will produce report based on the findings observed during polling process, complaints and comments recorded in the log-books; the report will analyze the violations and shortcomings observed in the polling process in more details. 

Language problem in the villages inhsabited with ethnic minoritie

Problematic tendency was observed in the election stations in the villages of ethnic Azerbaijan citizens, where commission members and voters communicate in Azerbaijan language and observers have problem to properly observe the procedures. Similar problem was observed in the villages of ethnic Chechen and Kist citizens in Akhmeta district, Pankisi Gorge.

Ethnic minority representatives do not know election procedures properly. Commission members explain to them in Azerbaijan or Kist languages (relatively) and observers cannot understand what commission members are telling voters fearing they might oppress free choice of voters.

Human Rights Center observed elections of 2012 and 2013 in the villages of ethnic minorities in Sagarejo district. It is noteworthy that organization’s observers did not face similar problems during parliamentary and presidential elections because it was possible to communicate in Georgian and Russian languages then. 

Like previous elections, commission members still accompany voters into election booths and explain how to mark candidates on ballot papers. Although similar facts did not have massive character, it is a pity that public awareness about election procedures and their rights is still very low in the villages inhabited with ethnic minorities.

Single-seat candidate observers ongoing polling procedures at the precinct

Single-seat candidate Davit Ikadze from the United National Movement is in the polling station of Jokolo village, Akhmeta district and observes polling process with the status of party representative. CEC clarified single-seat candidate cannot be in the polling station with the status of the observer but she/he can supervise polling process as party representative as it is allowed by the law.

Expert of election issues Nina Khatiskatsi clarified that party representative has right to be in the polling station but it is a serious gap in the election law because party representative and observer have equal functions-responsibilities. “According to the law candidate must not be in the precinct with the status of observer but he/she can observe the process with the status of party representative. In fact, representative and observer have equal functions and responsibilities in polling stations. So the only difference is in the status. Political parties often take advantage of this legislative shortcoming. Naturally, when a candidate is in the precinct, voters know him/her and it might be evaluated as indirect oppression on free choice of voters; so it must be prohibited by the law. It is serious gap in the election code and must be necessarily improved.”

Georgian Citizens Living in Occupied Territory Can Freely Participate in Local Elections

Residents of the occupied territory, on the ABL with South Ossetia, can travel to the Georgian controlled territory and participate in the elections without any obstacles in the following villages: Perevi, Sinaguri, Jria, Tskhomareti, Chala and Speti. 

After 2008 August armed conflict, it is first elections, when Georgian citizens residing in the occupied territories can cross so-called border and participate in the elections without obstacles. Polling station # 46 is open in Jria village and residents of the neighboring village Kardzmani from the occupied territory can go and vote there. 192 voters are registered in polling station # 46; 141 of them live in the occupied territory; others are residents of Jria village. 43 voters had already crossed de-facto border by midday and participated in the election.

In addition to that, two Georgian citizens from occupied territories observe ongoing elections in the precinct # 46. They also crossed de-facto border without any problems. 

The project was made possible with financial support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation. Based on the monitoring findings, the Human Rights Center will prepare report.
 

Full information is available in the Georgian version of  the Human Rights Centre’s Press release.  
 

 

News