Local Elections in Georgia and the existing legal and political framework
Changes to the electoral legislation made in line with the April 19 Agreement pledged to ease the political crisis and restore trust in electoral reform. Changes included increasing the number of non-partisan appointees throughout election commissions and limiting the party’s ability to withdraw members of the district election commissions. Legislation tightened control on voters’ will […]
Discussion Summary – Implementation of Electoral Reform: Improvements and Persisting Challenges
European Council President Charles Michel visiting Georgia to negotiate the ‘April agreement’ to overcome the political crisis in Georgia. Source: European Council The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and the After the previous election in 2020, the independence of the election administration was a key concern. This was present on all levels, […]
First interim report on pre-election monitoring
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) started monitoring of pre-election period for 2 October, 2021 Local Self-government Elections. The official pre-election monitoring interim report covers the period from 3 August to 30 August, 2021, as well as a few separate events that either began before 3 August and carried into the reporting […]
Mission impossible – Election monitoring in Russia to be muzzled
Photo: www.golosinfo.org – Protest of civil society organizations and political parties, 1 May 2004, Moscow. On 18 August 2021, in the course of the electoral campaign for the State Duma elections, the Russian Ministry of Justice declared the Golos Movement, a Russian unregistered election monitoring network, a “foreign agent”. “This decision is intended to […]
Media restrictions in the parliament undermine its transparency and accountability
Photo credit: Marcin Konsek The opening session of the National Assembly of the 8th convocation convened on 2 August was accompanied with strict restrictions to the movement of media representatives in the parliament. Journalists and cameramen were not allowed into the new parliamentary building where sessions of the standing commissions are convened, nor enter […]
Ruling party to cease discrediting campaign against ISFED
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is concerned about the verbal attacks from members of the ruling party towards the organization’s long-term monitors, and assesses it as a continuation of their deliberate discrediting campaign against ISFED. On August 1, in Khobi, MP Irakli (Dachi) Beraia verbally assaulted a long-term monitor of the […]
Appeal concerning appointment of new CEC members
Considering that the mandate of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) expired on 16 June 2021, being extended for a maximum of 90 days until the new CEC membership is appointed according to Article 17(6) of the Electoral Code; Reiterating suspicions of political influence over CEC, as underlined in the statement issued by the Civic Coalition […]
Interim report unofficial election period
On August 6 the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) presented the presented Monitoring Report for the Unofficial Election Period of the 2021 Local Self-Government Elections. The report covers the period from June 1 through August 2 as well as individual events that started to occur prior to June 1 and continued or became known […]
CEC restricts journalists’ access to the electoral process
Photo: Roger H. Goun, 2008. CC BY 3.0 On 28 July 2021, the Central Election Commission adopted a new media accreditation procedure (without cancelling the old one) that restricts media access to observe and report on the electoral process and violates the freedom of media editorial policy. Independent Russian election experts fear a significant reduction […]
We will not stop our human rights activities.’ – Viasna
Photo: Viasna human rights defender Elena Laptenka who has been taken away by authorities to an Investigative Committee. Her whereabouts are currently unknown. Statement by the Human Rights Center “Viasna” 14 July 2021 On 14 July 2021, the Belarusian authorities again attacked human rights organizations and other NGOs, human rights defenders, and activists: the […]