Local election date announced
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, August 23
Local elections will be held on October 21 2017. The date was appointed by the President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, on Tuesday, after signing the relevant decree.
The President declared at the press-conference, the legal act on scheduling elections has already been sent to the governmental administration for counter-assignation of the Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
Now that the President has appointed the date of elections, pre-election campaign has officially started in Georgia.
The Central Election Commission has been given around GEL 40 million from the state budget to organize and hold the elections.
From the start of the election campaign, restrictions will come into force regarding state agencies and officials.
The restrictions prohibit the use of administrative resources, budget funds, or the use of official positions during the pre-election period.
The Election Code reads that any person having the right to participate in pre-election agitation is prohibited to use administrative resources during the pre-election campaign to support or contribute to any political party or candidate.
Moreover, it is forbidden to use communications, information services and other kinds of equipment of the state authorities or local self-government bodies or any organizations which are financed from the state budget.
The Election Code also prohibits using vehicles owned by state or local authorities during campaigning.
At the local elections, self-governing cities will elect mayors as well as members and chairs of local councils.
In the previous local elections held in July 2014, for the first time in Georgia’s history, 71 local self-government bodies (Sakrebulos) and 2,088 members of the Sakrebulos, 12 city Mayors and 59 heads of local municipalities (Gamgebelis) were directly elected by voters.
