TI Georgia alleges “blurring of lines” between ruling party, state institutions ahead of elections

Eka Gigauri, director of Transparency International Georgia, on Monday raised concerns about the state of the pre-election environment, alleging that the boundary between the ruling party and state institutions has been “erased.”

Gigauri pointed out that state agencies were failing to respond effectively to legal violations and were not taking preventive measures.
“Our main conclusion in the pre-election period is that the line between the ruling party and state institutions is erased. State institutions do not respond effectively to specific law violations and do not prevent them,” Gigauri said.

She cited several examples, including the lack of law enforcement response to reports about identity card-related issues and alleged efforts to collect votes by pressuring individuals in Adjara, western Georgia.

She also noted the Communications Regulatory Commission was being used to penalize critical media outlets for not adhering to demands to broadcast certain political advertisements.

Gigauri further criticized the Central Election Commission’s decision to amend voting rules amid reports of ID card confiscation. She stressed the importance of ensuring that those identifying voters at polling stations were correctly vetted.

Additionally, she highlighted the absence of a thorough investigation into recent attacks on opposition representatives, while the pre-election atmosphere remained tense following the adoption of a foreign influence transparency law earlier this year.

According to Gigauri, the ruling party was actively involved in “undermining the credibility” of monitoring organizations and the Georgian civil sector.