On Monday 29 October, the head of the European Parliament's delegation to the international electoral observation mission in Georgia, Laima Andrikienė (EPP, Lithuania), hailed the holding of the presidential elections the previous day, while calling for electoral reforms.
In a press release, Andrikienė said that no case of violence was reported on the day of the elections, which "allowed citizens to safely exercise their democratic right". She also hailed "the high level of engagement by (...) independent civil society organisations, especially those observing the electoral process", but expressed concern that some of them have been targeted by intense verbal attacks. "Georgia, a country which aspires to join the European Union, cannot have its highest office holders calling citizen observers organisations 'accomplices of fascism'. Words have meaning, and the Georgian citizens deserve more than such language", she said.
Andrikienė also denounced the content of the pre-electoral debate which "often (...) focused on negative campaigning and personal attacks, including very harsh accusations, rather than on concrete visions for the future". "The polarization of the media landscape did not help to provide a non-partisan platform for debate between the candidates", she added.
And while the electoral framework has been reformed "more can be done", Andrikienė stated. She notably underlined "the strong imbalances in resources, the influence of business in politics, and the need for a (...) level playing field and fair competition between candidates", as the EU had already stated in 2016.
The second round of elections on 1 December will see the former foreign affairs minister Salomé Zourabichvili, who is supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party, pitted against opposition leader Grigol Vachadze. The turnout rate has been around 47% of the eligible voters.
This is the last election by direct universal suffrage. From 2024, under the new constitution, the president will be elected by an electoral college of 300 members. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)