Working Group 1: Statement on Georgia - Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

The October 2012 Parliamentary Elections are of crucial importance for future of democracy in Georgia. The new parliament shall ensure the country’s transition to parliamentary system and form the new government in line with the amendments to the Constitution of Georgia (October 15, 2010).

While the upcoming elections promise to be competitive, there still remain a number of challenges to the prospects of conducting free and fair elections in a level playing field.

In February 2012, significant part of the civil society organizations started a campaign under the name “This Affects You Too” aimed at improving election legislation and developing a better pre-election environment. Many of the campaign’s proposals have eventually been reflected in the amendments to this law in May 2012.

On May 7, 2012 Georgia’s non-governmental and media organizations submitted an additional package of the legislative proposals to the Parliament which, if adopted, will be instrumental for democratic elections in Georgia. The must-carry and must-offer principles introduced in the legislative package deserve a special attention as they ensure public access to the pluralistic media.

Participants of the Working Group One of the EaP Civil Society Forum address the Georgian authorities with the following requests:

Ensuring public access to the pluralistic media and equal coverage for the political parties during the election period;
Providing forum for the political debates;
Refining the vote count procedure on the day of the elections;
Regulating the use of administrative resources.

Herewith we address the European Union to support the efforts of the Georgian Civil Society aimed at stipulating fair and competitive election and media environment.

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