Head of Council of Europe Delegation Comments on Election

Head of Council of Europe Delegation Comments on Election

Experts and observers from international organizations like OSCE and the Council of Europe agreed on a statement that the parliamentary election of March 28th demonstrated professionalism and was conducted fairly. The international community, extremely interested in the process of democratization in Georgia, has acknowledged the progress of democracy in the country. Though no serious fraud was committed during the recent parliamentary elections, the results have essentially left the country with a one-party parliament.

Mr. Matyas Eorsi – Head of delegation Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 

Why was this parliamentary election in Georgia so important for the international community?

This particular election was especially interesting for two reasons. Only a few months ago, Georgians revolted against the previous government. Young, western-oriented leaders coming to power in the former Soviet republics creates interest in the international community. Hopefully, this election will provide a parliament that can support the government as it continues the reforms designed to make the future of Georgia better.
In addition, the election process in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, not usually democratic in any sense of the word, also generated international interest. Adjara did not conduct the elections well, but still better than was expected.

 
The Georgian government did not follow the recommendation of the  Council of Europe to lower the 7% barrier to obtaining parliamentary seats to 4% or 5%. Because of this, we now have essentially a one party parliament. Can Georgia truly be considered democratic if it has only one party represented in parliament?

I understand the temptation to compare this one-party parliament to the Soviet system, but this is not a valid comparison, becaues voters were free to choose   whichever party they liked in the election.

This sort of thing happens when a political leader and his party are extremely popular and enjoy tremendous public support. I would prefer to see more parties in parliament, but the Georgian government has agreed to lower the 7% barrier for the next elections.

In your opinion were these elections really objective?

In the sense that these elections reflected the will of Georgian people, yes.

What about the violations and fraud during the elections?
 
Some violations were committed which need to be excluded from the election process in future, but I am certain that these violations have not changed the results of these elections.

Nino Marshania