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Preliminary statement on the 1999 parliamentary elections in Georgia
TBILISI 1 November 1999
TBILISI, 1 November 1999 - The Preliminary Statement regarding the parliamentary elections in Georgia on 31 has been released by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Election Observation Mission. The Election Observation Mission is a joint effort between the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
The Preliminary Statement is released before the completion of the tabulation of results. No final assessment can be drawn until the aggregation of the results of the vote count has been completed and the official results have been publicly declared and verified. A final report will be issued by the ODIHR approximately one month after elections and will include recommendations and a detailed analysis of the findings from all phases of the election process.
The preliminary report included the following summary of conclusions.
The conduct of the 1999 parliamentary election represents a step towards Georgia?s compliance with OSCE commitments. Despite some irregularities, it appears that Georgian voters were generally able to express their will. Regrettably voting could not take place in Abkhazia and parts of South Ossetia.
The election-related laws established an adequate framework to conduct genuine multiparty elections, provided that the legal provisions were applied in a uniform and transparent manner.
During the pre-election period, fundamental freedoms were generally respected. The heated competition between the leading political parties and election blocs confirms that political pluralism exists in Georgia, with a clear distinction between competing political interests. Occasionally the tone of the campaign went beyond acceptable limits of political competition. In particular, it is cause of deep concern that a few instances of violence and intimidation marred the pre-election period.
Freedom of movement was at times restricted, and on occasions these restrictions prevented political parties and observers from exercising their rights.
Principally, the political parties were able to present their platforms to the electorate through the media providing the voters with sufficient information to make an informed choice. However, the media gave some advantage to incumbents.
Some aspects of the performance of the election administration lacked transparency, thus diminishing trust for some in the process.
Most of the above problems were particularly pronounced in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.
In general, the Supreme Court acted impartially in processing registration appeals.
On election day, the vote was conducted in a relatively peaceful manner and voters had a chance to freely cast their ballots in a substantial number of polling stations visited by international observers. During their visits, observers noted that the elections were conducted in overall accordance with legal provisions. These observations are backed so far by reports from 200 OSCE observers in more than 800 polling stations.
Further progress is necessary to increase the confidence in the election process. The Election Observation Mission encourages the Georgian authorities to investigate violations of the law, to improve the electoral legislation and to address the inadequacies of the electoral administration in order to enhance public confidence in the elections process.
Click here for the complete Preliminary Statement Report
MEDIA CONTACT: Mr Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission (+995 32 920624), Mr Eric Rudenshiold, Director of Programmes, OSCE PA (+45 3332 9400) or Mr Emanuele Giaufret, Election Officer, ODIHR Election Section in Warsaw (+48 22 520 0600).
The Preliminary Statement is released before the completion of the tabulation of results. No final assessment can be drawn until the aggregation of the results of the vote count has been completed and the official results have been publicly declared and verified. A final report will be issued by the ODIHR approximately one month after elections and will include recommendations and a detailed analysis of the findings from all phases of the election process.
The preliminary report included the following summary of conclusions.
The conduct of the 1999 parliamentary election represents a step towards Georgia?s compliance with OSCE commitments. Despite some irregularities, it appears that Georgian voters were generally able to express their will. Regrettably voting could not take place in Abkhazia and parts of South Ossetia.
The election-related laws established an adequate framework to conduct genuine multiparty elections, provided that the legal provisions were applied in a uniform and transparent manner.
During the pre-election period, fundamental freedoms were generally respected. The heated competition between the leading political parties and election blocs confirms that political pluralism exists in Georgia, with a clear distinction between competing political interests. Occasionally the tone of the campaign went beyond acceptable limits of political competition. In particular, it is cause of deep concern that a few instances of violence and intimidation marred the pre-election period.
Freedom of movement was at times restricted, and on occasions these restrictions prevented political parties and observers from exercising their rights.
Principally, the political parties were able to present their platforms to the electorate through the media providing the voters with sufficient information to make an informed choice. However, the media gave some advantage to incumbents.
Some aspects of the performance of the election administration lacked transparency, thus diminishing trust for some in the process.
Most of the above problems were particularly pronounced in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.
In general, the Supreme Court acted impartially in processing registration appeals.
On election day, the vote was conducted in a relatively peaceful manner and voters had a chance to freely cast their ballots in a substantial number of polling stations visited by international observers. During their visits, observers noted that the elections were conducted in overall accordance with legal provisions. These observations are backed so far by reports from 200 OSCE observers in more than 800 polling stations.
Further progress is necessary to increase the confidence in the election process. The Election Observation Mission encourages the Georgian authorities to investigate violations of the law, to improve the electoral legislation and to address the inadequacies of the electoral administration in order to enhance public confidence in the elections process.
Click here for the complete Preliminary Statement Report
MEDIA CONTACT: Mr Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission (+995 32 920624), Mr Eric Rudenshiold, Director of Programmes, OSCE PA (+45 3332 9400) or Mr Emanuele Giaufret, Election Officer, ODIHR Election Section in Warsaw (+48 22 520 0600).