The parliamentary elections of 2020 starkly revealed the public’s low trust in the Central Election Commission (“Cesko”) of Georgia, with the elections teetering on the edge of compliance with standards. Cesko’s inadequate response to violations emerged as the primary factor fueling the country’s political crisis. Against this backdrop and other circumstances, the local government elections of 2021 have assumed heightened significance. An organization has set out to elucidate this importance to the populace, launching the information campaign “Forward to the Elections!”
Civilian Election Commission (CEC)
“Forward to the Elections!” – As part of this campaign, an important project was conceived and implemented: the Civil Election Commission. The commission’s objective was to ensure transparent elections were conducted by international standards and with maximal public participation. The organization devised a monitoring and response mechanism for pre-election and election violations to achieve this. This facilitated alternative vote counting and timely publication of election results. The Civil Election Commission served as a mechanism for alternative vote counting, with results and assessments shared with both local and international partners. The commission comprised several thousand election observers and volunteers across Georgia’s regions.
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Decentralization Memorandum
As part of the “Forward to the Elections!” campaign, an initiative aimed at fostering political unity was undertaken. Industry experts crafted a vision for decentralization and self-governance, which was articulated in a manifesto alongside a policy document.
The manifesto garnered signatures from political leaders representing 7 parties: the Republican Party, Girchi-More Freedom, Droa, Lelo for Georgia, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Free Democrats, and the United National Movement.
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SUS-tem must be destroyed!
The 2021 elections were not conducted by the “Cesko” but by the State Security Service. One of the campaign’s targets was SUS, near whose building the movement held a protest march – “SUS-tem must be destroyed”! The purpose of the rally was to mark the place where oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili rules the country. It is at the expense of this state institution that the “Georgian Dream” maintains its power, which is manifested by total eavesdropping, surveillance and control of every step of citizens.
The “Fake Picket”
The “fake picket” is a deliberate action orchestrated by the “Shame Movement” to unveil the State Security Service’s extensive surveillance practices and demonstrate to the public the magnitude of surveillance in the country. Through this staged event, the “false picket” starkly revealed that the government’s authority relies heavily on law enforcement agencies, particularly the State Security Service, and their pervasive control.