Evaluation of the Pre-Election Environment of the 2018 Presidential Election

Official campaigning began on August 28, sixty days prior to the election date of October 28. The campaign was dominated by electoral subjects exchanging accusations and engaging in campaigning against one another. A notable trend was the coordinated attacks on domestic observer organizations by officials of the government and the ruling party, coupled with a smear campaign on social media. The election environment was further complicated by the release of compromising recordings, including those related to Iberia TV and Omega Group cases, which accused acting and former high-level officials of the government of business harassment, possible corrupt deals, and other crimes. These recordings triggered serious doubts about elite corruption and informal governance in the country. Observer organizations, including the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Transparency International – Georgia, and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, faced unprecedented pressure and attacks from high-level officials of the government and the ruling party. The rhetoric of these attacks aimed to accuse non-governmental organizations of being politically charged and biased. Personal attacks were made against leaders of observer organizations, including two days before the election. Instances of intimidation and harassment were detected in different regions, with civil servants and employees of non-profit legal entities of municipalities being instructed to compile lists of supporters of Salome Zourabichvili and ensure that people on those lists voted for her. These facts qualified as abuse of administrative resources. Other cases of harassment and intimidation were also found, including threats made against socially vulnerable people to cancel their social benefits unless they confirmed to the Georgian Dream coordinators that they supported Salome Zourabichvili. The pre-election period was relatively free from major incidents of violence and physical confrontation, with only three cases of counter-protest rallies turning into physical confrontations. However, the electoral administration faced criticism for its handling of the election process. Staffing of District Election Commissions (DECs) with temporary members and competitions for selection of Precinct Election Commission (PEC) members created legitimate questions about political influences and nepotism in the process. The process for selection of PEC members lacked transparency, with DECs not interviewing candidates in any of the districts. The announcement of competitions was preceded by the release of a much-publicized recording of telephone conversations of Krtsanisi DEC Chair, in which he possibly confirmed that he agreed with PEC Kakha Kaladze that NGO statements were biased and did not reflect actual problems in the election period. Following the release of the recordings, the DEC Chair resigned. The complaints process during the pre-election period was also problematic, with individuals responsible for drawing up reports of offence making decisions that lacked legal basis. During adjudication of pre-election disputes by the electoral administration, it was revealed that in most cases DEC chairs did not study facts described in complaints in a comprehensive manner and conducted administrative proceedings improperly. A total of 46 electoral subjects/initiative groups applied to the electoral administration for participation in elections, with 25 presidential candidates being registered. The election environment was characterized by a high level of tension and polarization, with many concerns raised about the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.