Elections Might be Postponed Due to the Second Wave of the Coronavirus in Fall

The world and correspondingly Georgia are expecting a second wave of Coronavirus in the upcoming months of Fall. The forthcoming parliamentary elections, which is planned to be held in October might be postponed if the situation worsens. Irakli Kobakhidze, former Speaker of the Parliament commented about this issue and claimed that even if the elections are pushed, the democratic processes would not be hindered. 

"There should be certain rules established, notwithstanding the numbers in October. We already have consultations about these issues with the international partners and with others who show interest in this topic. This is one thing; however, there might be a situation when observing these rules (mask-wearing at polling stations, using antiseptics and etc.) might still not enable us to hold the elections. In this case, the consultations simply say that if the second wave occurs in the pre-election period, it might be necessary to declare a state of emergency; however, there is nothing tragic about it. It is obvious that if this happens in October and if there's a necessity, the elections won't be held in October and could be held, for example, in December - and this won't substantively hinder the democratic process. This is possible in theory. If there is no second wave before 21 November, in this case, the elections will proceed ordinally; however, if there is one before 31 October, in this case, there are two things on the scale - the spread of the epidemic on one side and, on the other hand, - the date of the elections", stated Kobakhidze in the interview with TV Imedi.