Page 10 - GEORptFeb22

monitor Transparency International said it had identified up to 150 violations, ranging from minor to relatively serious.
Denouncing the vote, the head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party, Nika Melia, called on supporters to gather in Tbilisi on October 31 to agree a response.
"No one should have the illusion that they can get away with rigged, violent and insulting elections," Melia, who ran for office in the capital, was quoted as saying by RIA news agency.
Around 2,000 to 3,000 protesters rallied in the centre of Tbilisi later on October 31 and Melia announced plans to stage a larger protest on November 7, Russian news agencies reported.
There was no immediate response to Melia's allegations from Georgian Dream, but the ruling party rejected claims of foul play at the previous local elections held on October 2.
Election Commission chief Kalandarishvili said several incidents at polling stations, the nature of which he did not specify, did not have an impact on the results, Interfax said.
His commission would review complaints over the voting process in coming days, he added.
October 30's elections included second round run-offs to elect mayors in 20 municipalities including four major cities - Batumi, Kutaisi, Poti and Rustavi. The only race won by UNM was in Tsalenjikha, a small town in western Georgia, Russian news agencies cited the Election Commission as saying. The first round of mayoral elections was held on October 2 during a set of nationwide local elections that Georgian Dream also won.
2.7 Polls & Sociology
Georgians concerned by economy, political polarisation
The findings of a new poll conducted in Georgia by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a US think tank and research institute, show that the economy and political polarisation remain the main concerns of voters in the country.
According to the new survey, a plurality of respondents, 43%, believe Georgia is going in the wrong direction, down from 49% in the July survey.
Meanwhile, 21% of the respondents think the country is not changing at all and 27% believe it is going in the right direction, both numbers up from the previous survey.
Respondents, allowed to name three concerns, say poverty (32%), inflation (32%), jobs (29%), territorial integrity (16%) and pensions (13%) are the top national-level issues facing them and their families.
As for key issues facing the Georgian economy, the interviewees name employment (49%), inflation (42%), poverty (23%), low wages (21%) and national currency devaluation (14%) as top problems.
NDI report says the public concerns are consistent across political affiliations, among Georgian Dream and opposition supporters as well as those who did not name a party they support.
According to the survey, the majority of respondents believe the situation regarding education, territorial integrity, crime and proverty has gotten worse over the past 10 years. Results show that the perception of poverty getting
10 GEORGIA Country Report February 2022 www.intellinews.com