Shalva Papuashvili, the chairman of the Georgian Parliament, told journalists in Gurjaani that no matter how much the opposition or biased local observers exaggerate, everything is reflected in the OSCE/ODIHR Report.
According to him the OSCE/ODIHR conclusion reflected that pre-election campaigns are in a peaceful atmosphere.
Papuashvili said that the main problem for OSCE/ODIHR was polarization, and in particular polarization of the media.
“The interim report by the OSCE/ODIHR has great importance. It is a known fact that the OSCE/ODIHR reports reflect the reality, no matter how much the local and opposition observers exaggerate. It was shown that the pre-election campaigns are in a calm atmosphere, and that there may only be individual excesses. By the way OSCE/ODIHR also mentioned this, when it comes violations, such as pulling down posters, or other violations, that these violations also were against “Georgian Dream”. The main problem, as mentioned above, is polarization, and in particular polarization within the media. Among them, there are discussions about commercials. You can see that it’s an extremely difficult situation. We have given detailed information about how many seconds “Mtavari“, TV Pirveli”, and “Formula”, stole from “Georgian Dream”, and put us in a disadvantageous position. Total time was more than five hours compared to the other batches. These three television stations stole more than five hours of advertising to benefit their own party bosses. We have provided these detailed details and hope that next report will reflect them. The two weeks before the elections are summarized. It is concluded that there is a calm atmosphere, with no use of administrative tools, violence or other claims the opposition has in general. There is no special circumstance. Shalva Papuashvili said that the process is taking place in a peaceful atmosphere.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has published a report on the pre-election climate for the parliamentary election in Georgia. The report also reviews the work of election administration and electoral technologies. The report says that the pre-election phase is taking place in an environment of relative peace. According to the report, election campaigns and messages from politicians are dominated by polarized rhetoric.
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