Second Interim Report of Pre-Election Monitoring for 2018 Presidential Election

The monitoring involved up to 70 long-term observers nationwide and was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The second interim report of the pre-election monitoring covers the period of September 9-30, as well as events that began to unfold prior to September 9 and continued throughout and, in some cases, after the monitoring period. The election campaign became increasingly active in September, with presidential candidates actively meeting with voters nationwide. ISFED identified several key issues during the reporting period, including 1 case of confrontation on political grounds, 1 case of possible vote buying, 12 instances of violation of campaigning rules, 9 facts of misuse of administrative resources, 8 instances of interference with campaigning, and 14 cases of damaging of campaign materials. ISFED also detected an illegal initiative of a political party regarding bookmaking regarding elections. During the reporting period, ISFED filed 17 complaints with the Central Election Commission (CEC), including 12 complaints against illegal campaigning by civil servants, 3 complaints dealing with misuse of administrative resources, 1 complaint concerning participation of a religious organization in campaigning, and 1 complaint about bookmaking regarding elections proposed by a political party. ISFED also filed a complaint with the State Audit Office requesting a probe into a possible vote buying by Shalva Natelashvili in Kutaisi. The reporting period was marked by the release of secret recordings by media, which implicated acting and former high-level officials in possible corrupt deals and uncovered a possible illegal scheme of financing of the ruling party for elections. These recordings and accusations created reasonable suspicions about elite corruption and informal rule in the country, while the information uncovered about possible scheme of financing of the ruling party undermined transparency of political financing, cast a shadow on the political environment, and public trust towards it. The report also highlighted a wave of unethical statements and attempts by government officials and heads of administrative bodies involved in elections to discredit the work of observer organizations. ISFED became a target of such attacks by the chair of the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC), and the attacks on NGOs became large-scale and coordinated after the critical statement made by 13 non-governmental organizations about the corruption scandal. The chair of Parliament, the Minister of Justice, Georgian Dream MPs, Tbilisi Mayor, and the presidential candidate endorsed by the Georgian Dream all made statements with the aim of discrediting the organizations. During the reporting period, ISFED detected instances of illegal campaigning in violation of requirements of the Election Code. Large amounts of civil servants engaged in campaigning in favor of Salome Zourabishvili through their personal Facebook profiles during working hours, which is a violation of the Election Code. ISFED has filed complaints with the electoral administration in connection to each case of illegal canvassing.