Transparency International – Georgia raised concerns about the misuse of administrative resources by the government during the pre-election period for the upcoming October 26 parliamentary elections. The organization emphasized that the blurred line between the ruling party and the state is a significant issue.
The organization’s statement reads that one of the major challenges for the upcoming elections is the ruling party’s exploitation of administrative resources. They criticized actions such as the use of public institutions for narrow party purposes, legislative changes undermining democratic principles, and harassment of civil society and opposition representatives.
“The use of administrative resources in the conditions when the border between the ruling party and the state is virtually erased is an important problem for the October 26 parliamentary elections.”
Transparency International identified several pre-election challenges, including the negative effects of the “Russian law” on the electoral environment, the use of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Communications Commission to intimidate critical media, and mobilizing government employees for the ruling party’s campaign.
“Despite mass protests and reactions from Western partners, the government passed the ‘Russian law,’ which has impacted election processes.”
The organization also criticized the amendments to the electoral legislation, including the introduction of the “delegates” institution and changes to the Central Election Commission (CEC) procedures. The cancellation of the gender quota and the extension of powers to the Anti-Corruption Bureau were highlighted as concerns.
“Changes to the electoral legislation, especially those without broad consensus, destabilize the election process.”
Transparency International also called attention to issues such as violence against opposition representatives, the collection of personal data from civil servants, and the ruling party’s use of budget programs for electoral purposes.
“The ruling party’s candidates participated in budgetary measures, mobilized civil servants for campaign events, and spent public funds for party purposes.”
The organization provided recommendations, urging the government to ensure stability in electoral legislation, investigate cases of violence impartially, and refrain from using public resources for narrow political gains.
“Government bodies should refrain from initiating large-scale social programs shortly before the elections, which harm healthy competition between election subjects,” stated TI – Georgia.
