ISFED says blocking its involvement in electoral working group “prosecution” by ruling party

Nino Dolidze, director of the non-governmental organization International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, said on Thursday that the ruling Georgian Dream party decision not to invite the NGO  to the parliamentary working group on electoral issues for Georgia’s EU candidacy was a “restriction and persecution of the civil organization’s rights due to its critical position”. 

Dolidze notd that the NGO was able to provide “genuine assistance” on electoral issues, considering its “many-years of experience” in the field. 

“We really have the expertise that will help the country to implement the electoral reform, although the ruling party decided not to have us in this group, which is inexplicable to us. This is a limitation of the right of civil organization and persecution because our organization is often critical”, Dolidze said. 

Head of the working group from the GD,  which held its first meeting today, Givi Mikanadze said that ISFED was politically “biased”: and was taking part in anti-Government rallies organized by the opposition. 

Mikanadze suggested that the working group could only involve “neutral NGOs”. 

The working group is composed of four representatives of the ruling party, four members of the opposition and civil society organizations.