GEORGIA’S RULING party has urged its rivals to sign a “code of conduct” for October’s general election as the state of democracy and media freedom in the country comes under growing international scrutiny.
Billionaire opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili has accused President Mikheil Saakashvili of abusing Georgia’s legal system to undermine his party’s campaign, following a series of adverse court rulings, the arrest of opposition activists and problems launching his wife’s television station.
The proposed code calls on all parties to agree to conduct a clean campaign and to “recognise election results, summarised by the central election commission and deemed legitimate by observer organisations with credible reputation”.
It is not clear whether Mr Ivanishvili’s party will sign up the code and limit its scope for possible post-election protests, given that his allies have raised concerns aboutvote-rigging.
The latest surveys show Mr Saakashvili’s party 18 percentage points ahead of Mr Ivanishvili’s, but with the gap narrowing from previous polls.
Mr Saakashvili is the West’s main ally in the volatile Caucasus region, but his role in Georgia’s brief 2008 war with Russia and his alleged intolerance towards critics have shaken EU and US faith in his leadership.
Visiting Tbilisi this month, EU president Herman van Rompuy said “the parliamentary election in October and presidential elections in 2013 will be crucial indicators of the progress Georgia has made on its path to reform”.
This week, the media freedom chief of the 56-nation Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe – chaired by Ireland this year – urged Georgia to protect journalists after a spate of attacks and harassment of reporters working on controversial stories.
“I am concerned by these incidents and I hope authorities will do their utmost to reverse this worrying trend,” said Dunja Mijatovic.
“Journalists should be able to work unhindered, regardless of the political affiliation of the media outlets they represent.”
Three activists from Mr Ivanishvili’s party were arrested this week for allegedly violating party funding laws, in what the tycoon called “yet another case of political persecution”.
Since entering politics, Mr Ivanishvili has been stripped of his Georgian passport and fined more than €70 million for allegedly breaching rules on party funding. When he refused to pay, government agencies seized control of some of his major banking assets.
Officials say none of these cases are politically motivated and point out that new laws allow non-Georgian citizens to run for office and force television providers to carry all channels during the election campaign – including the new one launched by Mr Ivanishvili’s camp.
The billionaire’s critics are suspicious of his wealth and his links with Russia, which has stationed troops in two rebel Georgian regions and recognised them as independent states.
