NDI: Women’s Underrepresentation in Politics in Georgia
The National Democratic Institution (NDI) issued its preliminary assessment of Georgia’s October 21 local elections, saying Women’s underrepresentation in the political processes continues to be a problem in Georgia.
The assessment reads that women made up approximately 37% of proportional, 16.5% of majoritarian, and 13.5% of mayoral candidates.
It also says that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, which won the elections at nearly all polling stations, nominated only two women mayoral candidates in 64 constituencies, while the United National Movement (UNM), European Georgia (EG), and Alliance of Patriots (AoP) nominated seven candidates each.
As for the assessment of the elections in general, the NDI says elections day progressed without incident in most of the country, and Georgian voters, poll workers, party activists, and candidates demonstrated their commitment to democracy by participating peacefully.
“However, NDI observers also reported several cases of serious procedural violations, errors, and delays resulting from lack of officials’ understanding of the procedures, as well as instances of involvement of self-declared party-affiliated observers in the count,” the assessment reads.
The organization also says that outside Tbilisi, the elections followed a campaign largely devoid of meaningful competition.
They stressed that the playing field was uneven, with the ruling GD receiving approximately 90% of all campaign donations and enjoying ample media visibility, including coverage of government achievements and events.
“In contrast, opposition parties faced a lack of resources and significantly lower visibility and reach. This imbalance, combined with a lack of extensive policy messages and debates in most of the country, hindered a real contest of ideas and values,” the statement reads.
The organization believes that with the further consolidation of power in one party, prospects for vibrant and pluralistic democracy are at risk.
“The responsibility, of course, lies with country’s leaders to create an environment that promotes genuinely inclusive governing processes and strengthens democratic checks and balances,” NDI said.
The report adds that criticism of political parties and the non-governmental sector during the election campaign was mainly related to the misuse of administrative resources.
"We often hear complains about the misuse of administrative resources. This is nothing new for Georgia. I have observed political processes in Georgia for the last 10-15 years. I hope the time will come when this issue will no longer be on the agenda," said Per Eklund, former head of the European Union delegation to Georgia and member of the NDI observer mission.
On Election Day, the NDI observers visited over 100 polling stations for the opening, voting, closing, and counting processes in their assigned regions.
Thea Morrison