Ambassador Degnan hopes to see the end to ‘polarizing personality politics’ in Georgia
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, October 29
A few days before the 2020 Georgian Parliamentary Elections, which are scheduled to be held on October 31st, the US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan had a pre-election conversation with acting Public Affairs Officer Christopher Anderson.
Ambassador Degnan said that “Georgians have chosen a path towards a more democratic and pluralistic society.” She added that the US would continue to support this decision, since the crucial direction of the US-Georgia strategic partnership is to help Georgia build “a strong, unified, sovereign and more democratic country.”
The ambassador remarked that she wishes to see candidates who focus on explaining how they would fulfill the priorities of the electors, such as creating jobs and stimulating growth. She also wishes to see an end to personality politics “which has been so polarizing to Georgia’s society, opening a way for Russia and other malign actors to create divisions, and to sow confusion in the country.”
According to Degnan, the United States has been supporting elections in Georgia for over 20 years. The US cooperates with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to build its system and procedures. The US also works with the legislative body to develop election legislation that meets international standards and helps political parties to focus their programs as well as their platforms on voters’ priorities. The ambassador remarked that this year, they have done some extra work in cooperation with CEC to ensure that voters can vote safely despite the COVID pandemic, and to protect voter’s personal information from potential cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns.
Degnan noted that the US embassy works closely with local and foreign monitoring organizations, as well as with highly ‘respected, professional’ Georgian civil society organizations, such as GYLA, ISFED, TI, PMMG, and international organizations like IRI, NDI, and IFES.
In response to Christopher Anderson’s question of whether the United States has any preferred candidate, the ambassador stated that the US does not have a favorite party nor candidate and that they will work with any party that is legitimately elected by the Georgian people.
The ambassador encourages people to go to the elections and cast their votes on the election day. She stated that the US wants these elections to go smoothly and for its part, the United States will continue to be “a strong friend and partner to Georgia as it proceeds with its democratic development.”
