US Amb: Every Party & Citizen Responsible for Promoting Fair, Transparent Elections

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan states that it is the responsibility of every party and citizen to promote fair and transparent elections.

As she told reporters when assessing the Georgian Dream's election campaign, the ruling party has an additional responsibility to ensure that the elections are conducted in a transparent, fair manner, and therefore that message from the ruling party is correct. In her words, any political party involved in the election process also has a responsibility.

Regarding the growing Russian influence in the context of the parliamentary elections, the Ambassador said, "from the actions taken by Russia in the past, we see that countries and electoral systems are not protected from their interference."

"The same thing we saw in the United States a few years ago. Therefore, the country, and its people, must do everything to protect the electoral system from their influence. We, the United States and other partners in Georgia, are implementing efforts and programs aimed at raising public awareness so that they can spot fake news from quality journalism. Political parties and leaders have the same duty, they must provide accurate information to the population on various important issues, so that voters are fully informed about the October elections and are able to vote in a free environment, without intimidation. I hope this election will be more advanced than the previous ones," Kelly Degnan said.

Elections are scheduled to be held in Georgia on 31 October 2020 to elect the 150 members of Parliament.

By Ana Dumbadze 

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