On November 21, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) published a report of pre-election monitoring of the runoff of the 2018 presidential election. The document covers the period from October 29 to November 19.

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) began long-term observation of the pre-election period for the 2018 presidential election runoff on the day after the first round of the election. Since October 29, nearly 70 long-term observers (LTOs) of the organization have been involved in the monitoring nationwide. The monitoring is implemented with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The interim report of the pre-election monitoring of the runoff covers the period from October 29 to November 19.

Last week, an employee of the Public Service Development Agency informed us that the Agency is allegedly producing fake identification cards. According to this employee, fake ID cards are being printed with the purpose of rigging the second round of the presidential elections in favour of Salome Zurabishvili, and the Agency’s high-ranking officials are supervising the process.

სამოქალაქო პლატფორმა “არა ფობიას” წევრი ორგანიზაციები უკიდურეს შეშფოთებას გამოვხატავთ 2018 წლის 18 ნოემბერს „ერთიანი ნაციონალური მოძრაობის“ ლიდერის, მიხეილ სააკაშვილის მიერ გაკეთებულ ანტისემიტისტურ განცხადებაზე. კიდევ ერთხელ მოვუწოდებთ მას და სხვა პოლიტიკოსებს, თავი შეიკავონ სიძულვილის ენის გამოყენებისგან, კონკრეტული ჯგუფების შეურაცხმყოფელი და დამამცირებელი ტერმინებით მოხსენიებისა და სტერეოტიპების გავრცელებისგან.

The signatory organizations respond to the initiative announced by the Prime Minister of Georgia on November 19, according to which 600 000 voters will be written off debts. We believe that the initiative noted, which will be carried out by ,,Kartu’’ Foundation, is supposedly an unprecedented case of vote buying and law enforcement agencies should express interest.

ISFED has found that in the period between the first and the second rounds of the 2018 presidential election, acts of intimidation against voters have become widespread; new and unprecedented forms of influencing the will of the voters are used.

The Central Election Commission did not take into account calls of NGOs and scheduled the election runoff for a weekday, on November 28. Although the electoral legislation allows holding of elections on a weekday, which is then declared a holiday, the decision is unacceptable and inexpedient.

According to the agenda of the CEC session today, in addition to summarizing the final election results, the electoral administration will also set the runoff election date, meaning that the presidential runoff will be scheduled for Wednesday, October 28.

ISFED responds to the statement made today by the presidential candidate of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili claiming that on November 9-10 and 11, she and her children received death threats through voice and text messages.

After publishing results of the first round of the October 28, 2018 presidential election, the government of Georgia and the local authorities started extensively making promises about different social and infrastructural projects. The Prime Minister of Georgia and other members of the government unveiled different projects that provide material benefits for specific social groups.