IN INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS’ WORDS, RIGHTS OF NATIONAL MINORITIES NOT COMPLETELY RESPECTED AT ELECTIONS OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES OF GEORGIA IN ISSUE OF LANGUAGE

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 9 2006

AKHALKALAK, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Observers of the
Congress of Regional and Local Authorities of the Council of Europe
made public on October 6 in Tbilisi their preliminary conclusion
concerning the elections of local self-government bodies of Georgia.

The OSCE and Council of Europe observers particularly fixed in their
report the following:

– The main freedoms were in majority respected at the 2006 elections
of local self-government bodies in Georgia;

– Not clear difference between the authorities and the leading party
functioned in favour of the authorities;

– 30% of independent candidates was not able to be registered, mainly
because of organizers of the elections;

– The ethnic minorities’ right to get information about the elections
in the language preferable for them was not completely respected in
the territory of the country;

– In some places, mainly, in minorities’ regions, observers noticed
important procedural problems while counting the votes.

The OSCE and Council of Europe observers fixed in their preliminary
report also the fact of fostering the law on elections of local
self-government bodies without satisfactory public discussion.

The OSCE and Council of Europe observers’ group will make public its
final report on the law on the electoral code of local self-government
bodies and the law on elections of local self-government bodies of
Georgia in two months.

According to the "A-Info" agency, representatives of the OSCE
observation mission visited Javakhk as well.