Undecided voters matter

More than 3,5 million people can vote in Georgia’s October 8 Parliamentary elections.

However, based on almost all public polls provided recently or two-three months ago say that on average 40% of voters have not yet decided on whom to vote for.

The people will play a vital role in the election outcomes, and Georgian political actors are doing their utmost to get the undecided voters to nominate them.

The number of undecided voters was very high for the 2012 Parliamentary Elections, when the nine-year rule of the United National Movement was defeated by the Georgian Dream coalition, a unity established by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

The US National Democratic Institute’s branch in Georgia claimed the final results were different from previous polls, as undecided electorate ntvoted for the Georgian Dream rather than for the United National Movement.

The airing of the prison torture videos, which took place under the United National Movement government, had significant influence on voters just several days before the 2012 elections.

It was believed by many that the videos were kept hidden until the final days before the elections, as those having the videos knew that the recordings could play one of the key roles in the final results.

The release of secret recordings is also taking place now prior to the upcoming elections, and both the ruling power and the opposition are engaged with blaming one another in spreading the audio or video footages.

Such incidents also take place in very developed countries in pre-election periods, but they mainly concern certain political players and rarely damage state interests.

In Georgia, the majority of political parties think about their own interests and ignore the fact that their actions can significantly damage the nation's interests and international image.

The parties just think to attract as many voters as possible to appear in Parliament or Government and pay no attention whether their actions are illegal or not.

As soon as the people appear in the legislative body or in the Government, many of them either miss parliamentary sessions or fail to fulfil his/her duties in the Government.

Voters should decide on whom to vote for and turnout should be high, as it will be a signal that Georgia is progressing, and voters should give their voices oriented at election programs and not based on party leaders.

Every vote matters as it can change the country’s fate.