'Asphalt-laying competition': how candidates in Abkhazia’s local elections try to woo voters
Municipal elections in Abkhazia
The Sukhum election commission has expressed outrage over evidence of indirect voter bribery by candidates running in Abkhazia’s upcoming local elections on 8 November.
Despite its indignation, the commission has so far refrained from disqualifying any of the candidates, issuing only a warning “about the inadmissibility of such actions.”
In the run-up to the municipal elections, various public works projects are being carried out across Abkhazia in the name of local candidates.
According to Almas Dzhopua, head of the Sukhum election commission, “candidates are filming and posting around-the-clock videos on social media showing road paving, pavement repairs, installation of transformers, replacement of light bulbs, and so on.”
In a special statement, the Sukhum election commission warned that “such activities may be regarded as a form of voter bribery, which constitutes a direct violation of the law.”
“There are numerous violations at almost every polling station. We can’t interpret this any other way,” Dzhopua said.
The commission added that if sufficient evidence of such violations is obtained, it will immediately forward the materials to law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution.
However, it’s not only pro-government candidates engaging in such “advertising” — almost all contenders are doing the same.
“Quite often, independent candidates carry out large-scale works using their own funds, spending outrageous amounts of money on the campaign,” said the head of the election commission.
What’s most outrageous, in his view, is that these “campaign videos” are sometimes pure manipulation. For example, footage often features projects that have in fact long been carried out by the Sukhum city hall.
“Many candidates — including sitting local council members — claim credit for works they didn’t do. The election campaign has turned into a competition in road paving,” Dzhopua complained.
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Municipal elections in Abkhazia
