Georgian political parties obliged to submit financial reports for the last 8 months
Georgian parties obliged to report
The Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau has obliged local political parties to submit financial reports for the last eight months, according to the bureau’s head, Razhden Kuprashvili. He noted that most opposition parties either partially or entirely fail to disclose their sources of funding.
“Monitoring revealed that political parties, particularly European Georgia – Movement for Liberty, Yes to Europe – Strategy Aghmashenebeli, National Movement, Girchi – More Freedom, Strong Georgia – Lelo, For the People, For Freedom!, Elene Khoshtaria – Droa, and Akhali Ertoba – Gvaramia, Melia, have not fully disclosed their funding sources.
Meanwhile, their election campaigns and activities may be financed by foreign donor organizations or other sources, which, in turn, fund NGOs linked to these political parties.
This scheme, involving foreign money to support political parties and processes, poses a threat to a fair electoral process.
According to Georgian law, it is prohibited for political parties to be funded by individuals without Georgian citizenship or by legal entities registered in Georgia or abroad,” said Razhden Kuprashvili.
At the briefing held on August 27, Kuprashvili also mentioned that the evidence-gathering process for the “Festival of Democracy” case is ongoing:
“The Festival of Democracy was organized by the NGO ‘Eastern European Centre for Multi-Party Democracy’ with the support of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy.
Based on the evidence gathered, we have reason to believe that the festival is of a political nature and aimed at supporting specific parties. Only a select few political parties were invited to the festival, and not all had the opportunity to participate. Additionally, only those NGOs that either support or refrain from opposing certain political parties took part in the festival.
The evidence collection process for this case is ongoing, and the final decision will be communicated to the public.”
The “Festival of Democracy” took place in various cities across Georgia in the first half of August. It was organized by the Georgian Eastern European Centre for Multi-Party Democracy (EECMD) with the support of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD), which operates under the Danish Parliament.
The festival’s organizers stated that its goal was to enhance civic participation and strengthen dialogue among social groups. During the festival, political parties presented their electoral programs, while NGOs shared information about their ongoing projects.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized the event, calling it a “festival of authoritarianism.” He expressed concern that the festival in Georgia was “directly funded by foreign donors.”
In response, EECMD asserted that all political parties in the country, including the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, were invited to the festival. However, the ruling party declined to participate.
