Congress delegation started high-level meetings prior to local elections in Georgia, on Sunday 30 May 2010

28.05.2010, Tbilisi (Georgia) - On the first day, 27 May, of the Congress mission to observe municipal elections in Georgia, that are to be held on 30 May, the 14-member delegation (including 4 members of the EU Committee of the Regions) met with different representatives of the governmental side, notably the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Davit Bakradze, the Minister for Regional Development and Infrastructure, Davit Tkeshelalvili, as well as members of the Inter-Agency task Force for Free and Fair Elections (IATF).

Also, a meeting with the Head of the Central Elections Commission, Zurab Kharatishvili, took place to evaluate the organisational framework of the municipal elections, in particular in respect of correctness of the voting lists. Friday 28 May is dedicated to discussions with media representatives, NGOs and with opposition members.

Already during the pre-election mission of the Congress, on 3-4 May, the delegation met with opposition candidates for the mayoral elections in the capital city of Tbilisi and with incumbent Mayor Gigi Ugulava.

In addition, a second exchange of views with the OSCE/ODIHR long-term delegation to Georgia is scheduled for the afternoon. On Sunday 30 May, municipal elections in Georgia will be observed by the joint Coongress/EU Committee of the Regions delegation, including locally elected representatives of 11 countries.