In June 2012, Brussels hosted the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum which gathered representative from target countries, Georgia among them. On June 6, the civil society representatives from Georgia addressed EU to support Georgian civil society in building of free media and elections environment.
Working Group 1:Democracy, Human Rights, Good Governance & Stability Brussels
June 6, 2012
Statement on Georgia
The October 2012 Parliamentary Elections are of crucial importance for future of democracy in Georgia. The new parliament shall ensure the country’s transition to parliamentary system and form the new government in line with the amendments to the Constitution of Georgia (October 15, 2010).
While the upcoming elections promise to be competitive, there still remain a number of challenges to the prospects of conducting free and fair elections in a level playing field.
In February 2012, significant part of the civil society organizations started a campaign under the name “This Affects You Too” aimed at improving election legislation and developing a better pre-election environment. Many of the campaign’s proposals have eventually been reflected in the amendments to this law in May 2012.
On May 7, 2012 Georgia’s non-governmental and media organizations submitted an additional package of the legislative proposals to the Parliament which, if adopted, will be instrumental for democratic elections in Georgia. The must-carry and must-offer principles introduced in the legislative package deserve a special attention as they ensure public access to the pluralistic media.
Participants of the Working Group One of the EaP Civil Society Forum address the Georgian authorities with the following requests:
