Georgian Economy Minister affirms transparency, competitiveness on local elections day

Mariam Kvrivishvili, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, on Saturday said the local self-government elections were proceeding transparently, with all participants enjoying equal opportunities in a competitive setting, while dismissing viral videos of alleged irregularities as misleading attempts to deceive the public.

Kvrivishvili addressed concerns raised by journalists regarding circulating videos purportedly showing vote-buying in Khashuri and assisted voting in Akhaltsikhe.

“We see yet another attempt to mislead voters and viewers. We see that the elections are taking place in a calm and transparent environment. The elections are being monitored by international and domestic observers”, Kvrivishvili said.

The Minister further described the electoral process as genuinely transparent, emphasising that every party and candidate had been and remained able to engage on a level playing field.

“At this moment, we can say that the elections are truly transparent, and every electoral subject has had and continues to have the opportunity to participate in a competitive environment”, she concluded.

Local self-government elections are currently taking place in Georgia. Citizens are electing representatives for a four-year term to the municipal representative bodies - the Sakrebulo - as well as the mayor of the self-governing city or community.
Sakrebulo elections are conducted based on both majoritarian and proportional electoral systems.

Georgian citizens will elect 2,058 members to 64 Sakrebulos, through both proportional and majoritarian systems, along with 64 mayors.