20.12.2006 - Source: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Report on municipal elections (legal framework; election administration; participation of national minorities; gender representation; election campaign; media and elections; disputes, complaints and appeals prior to election day; civil society and domestic observers; election day; post-election day disputes, complaints and appeals) ("OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission: Municipal Elections; 5 October 2006; Final Report") [ID 18553]

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12.10.2006 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Opposition parties call local elections undemocratic; however local observers say they were fairest elections since independence of Georgia ("Opposition's Poor Election Showing Rings Alarm Bells") [ID 17922]

"The Saakashvili-led ruling party United National Movement won a convincing victory in the poll, securing 66.5 per cent of the vote, with the opposition bloc of Republicans and Conservatives notching up just 12 per cent. The opposition has called the ballot undemocratic, but many local observers have said that this was the fairest election since Georgia became independent - though they have expressed concern at the absence of serious political competition.“You can say the outcome of the election was known beforehand - that is why there was no political struggle between the parties,” political analyst Gia Nodia told IWPR.International and local observers said the election was not without its flaws, mainly inaccurate voting lists. However, the latter, the say, did not really affect the outcome of the poll.Tamar Zhvania, executive director of the non-governmental organisation Fair Elections, described the poll result as credible, despite the many procedural violations.Nonetheless, those who turned out for the vote only to find that they were not registered to cast a ballot felt cheated. [...] Some observers believe the landslide nature of the president’s electoral success is not good for democracy. “It’s very bad that the ruling party has no more opponents,” said Radio Liberty commentator Ia Antadze, who urged the opposition to start preparing now for the 2008 parliamentary election."

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06.10.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

Central Election Commission announces Tbilisi election results ("CEC Announces Tbilisi Election Results") [ID 17684]

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05.10.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

Local election observer organizations have reported some serious irregularities, such as barring access to polls ("Watchdogs Report Irregularities") [ID 17597]

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03.10.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

OSCE interim report says Central Election Commission faces problems to meet deadlines; as requirement to open campaign funds was not addressed in time, many candidates were denied registration; inaccuracies in voter lists are major problem of the election ("Election Watchdogs Report Interim Findings") [ID 17491]

"The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) [...] said in an interim report that although the technical preparations for the election are underway, “the CEC faces difficulties meeting the tight legal deadlines.” Elections date was announced by the authorities on September 27, which “put the election administration under a significant time constraint, and the CEC has not been able to meet some legal deadlines.’ “The CEC failed to address an ambiguity in the Unified Election Code, with regard to the requirement to open campaign funds, in a consistent and a timely manner. As a result, some majoritarian candidates were denied registration. Ultimately, in some local majoritarian districts only one candidate was left on the ballot,” ODIHR’s interim report says. [...] Some opposition parties, including a coalition of Republican and Conservative parties accused the ruling party officials of carrying out “instructions” to the election administration members in number of regions including in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic.  Local observers also note the same problem, but say that unlike in previous years, the CEC is more enthusiastic to cooperate with the election watchdog groups and political parties. [...] But he also said that number of precinct election commissions is not technically well-prepared for elections. Inaccuracies in the voter lists remain another major problem ahead of polls. Officially announced number of voters – 3 201 168 – “constitutes a significant increase over past elections,” the ODHIR report says. “In Tbilisi, the OSCE/ODIHR LEOM [Limited Election Observation Mission] has noted that in every city district a number of voters, varying from a few dozen to more than a thousand appear on the voters list without their addresses indicated,” according to the report. The opposition parties have also expressed lack of confidence in the voter list accuracy. Election watchdog group nGnI said that margin of error in the voter lists reaches 8%. But another local observer organization International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy said margin of error is even higher. But the CEC has downplayed concerns. [...]"

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25.09.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

According to its own statement, margin of error in voter lists compiled by Central Election Commission (CEC) varies from 2% to 8%, which means voter list fully corresponds to international standard ("CEC: Voter List Corresponds to International Standards") [ID 17343]

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21.09.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

Reportedly election administration members are piled on the pressure in the forefront of local elections on 5 October 2006 ("Watchdog Reports on Pre-Election Violations") [ID 17342]

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15.09.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

Reportedly 1.140 voters are missing from the list for local self-governance elections on 5 October 2006 ("Watchdog Reports Inaccuracies in Voter List to CEC") [ID 17304]

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11.09.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

New Rights party will reportedly boycott the local self-governance elections on 5 October 2006 because Patarkatsishvili, who should have been the candidate from the party for the Tbilisi mayoral position, has refused to run in these elections ("New Rights Boycott Elections after Patarkatsishvili Refuses to Run") [ID 17303]

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29.08.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

According to law Members of Parliament must annul this status before running in local elections; as in case of 2 MPs this is not possible due to change of elections date ruling National Movement wants to hold special parliamentary session to allow them to run in elections ("Ruling Party Offers Solution for Mayoral Nomination Controversy") [ID 17244]

"The ruling National Movement party has proposed that a special parliamentary session be held to allow two opposition MPs to run in the upcoming local self-governance elections. MP Koba Davitashvili, leader of the Conservative Party, and MP Davit Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party said that they were deprived of the opportunity to run in the Tbilisi and Batumi mayoral races, respectively, when local elections were set for October 5. According to Georgian law, an MP's status as Member of Parliament must be formally annulled at a parliamentary session before running in a local election. However, the next parliamentary session is scheduled for September 12, while the deadline for submitting application to the Central Election Commission to run in the local elections expires on September 11. The opposition has accused authorities of intentionally blocking the two opposition MPs from running in the elections. But Vice-Speaker of the Parliament Mikheil Machavariani said on August 29 that Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze is ready to convene a special session of the Parliament on September 5 to strip Davitashvili and Berdzenishvili of their MP status."

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28.08.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

President set 5 October as date for local elections; as in August he announced they would be held in December opposition parties lack time for campaigning ("Playing with Elections Date") [ID 17242]

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28.08.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

New registration deadlines due to changed elections date deprives opposition candidates of right to run in polls ("Authorities Accused of Barring Opposition MPs from Elections") [ID 17243]

"“According to the current law, a member of the Georgian Parliament, who wants to run in local self-governance elections should first be stripped of his MP credentials. The procedure should take place at a parliamentary session. But the problem is that the first session of Parliament is scheduled for September 12, while the deadline for a [Mayoral] candidate to submit an application to the Central Election Commission expires on September 11. So I can say for sure that this decision [to appoint elections on October 5] was directed against us, me and Davit Berdzenishvili,” Koba Davitashvili said at a joint news conference with MP Berdzenishvili. The Central Election Commission (CEC) has confirmed that the deadline for submitting an appropriate appeal by potential Mayoral candidates expires on September 11."

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11.04.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

Leader of opposition Labor Party Shalva Natelashvili called on opposition parties to boycott local elections scheduled for autumn 2006 ("Opposition Labor Party Calls for Boycott of Local Elections") [#49319],  [ID 4727]

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16.03.2006 - Source: Civil Georgia

Opposition concerned about potential partiality of lower level election commissions for local self-governance elections this autumn ("Opposition Fears Ruling Party Controls Election Commissions") [#47368],  [ID 4728]

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