The importance of providing a peaceful and free election environment for the activities of election administrators and for voters to exercise their right to vote was discussed in the Central Election Commission (CEC). The meeting with Levan Ioseliani, Public Defender, and his representatives was held today. Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the CEC Chair, provided comprehensive information to meeting participants regarding the election administration’s preparations for the 26 October elections and discussed activities that were implemented as well as current challenges. Chair underscored the importance of a peaceful working environment for election administrators in this process.

“A recent trend suggests that pressure on election administrators is considered normal. However, a healthy election environment requires conducting activities in a peaceful and free atmosphere. We discussed all cases that the election administration revealed in the past. We also discussed the formation of a communication channel which, on the one hand, will ensure the prevention of such cases and, on the other hand, respond to concrete cases within our competence. It should be underlined that this challenge is not unique for Georgia’s election administration, as has been said in numerous international documents, including, International Idea, in the case of 92% of the 53 surveyed countries, election administrations were victims of slander, hate speech, pressure, false and disinformation campaigns. We ought to create minimal guarantees for our employees to ensure they work in a free and peaceful environment and perform at high professional level”, - said Kalandarishvili.

“The meeting was crucial, given the upcoming elections. During the pre-election period, election day, and post-election, it is essential for the Office of the Public Defender to coordinate with the CEC. This coordination allows timely responses to alleged rights violations and ensures the prompt receipt of information. We agreed on creating such a communication channel. Additionally, it is crucial for citizens to have comprehensive information about the new technologies used in elections. We also emphasized the importance of everyone understanding the voting process to exercise their right to vote”, - added Ioseliani.