Elections in Georgia might be postponed due to second wave of Covid-19

Elections in Georgia might be postponed due to second wave of Covid-19

On 15 June, Georgian domestic tourism resumed, while the country will open its doors to international tourists on 1 July. 

In addition, railway travel within the country has also restarted. The Georgian Railway officials say the company is ready to ensure the safe transportation of passengers and to implement the regulations imposed by the country's  Ministry of Health. Although the Georgian government continue to ease restrictions, wearing face masks was made compulsory both in closed spaces and while traveling with public transport.

At the start of tourist season in the country, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia hosted members of the diplomatic corps at Lopota Lake in the Kakheti region. He spoke about the coronavirus crisis, the country’s plans to reboot the economy, how they would proceed with the October elections and other intentions.

The EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell stated that economic issues were not the only topic of discussion at the meeting. “We are happy that the government invited us to speak about the socially vulnerable people as well and about their rights during the pandemic. We should all learn based on experience, this also concerns Georgia. However, on the other hand, Georgia can also teach others and the results the country has achieved prove this,” he said. 

The US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan emphasized that the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn were of high importance and that the US would observe them closely. Speaking on the matter of the upcoming elections, which are planned to be held in October, the former Speaker of the Parliament Irakli Kobahidze said that the elections might be postponed due to the fears of a second wave of the pandemic. “In this case, the consultations simply say that if the second wave occurs in the pre-election period, it might be necessary to declare a state of emergency; however, there is nothing tragic about it. It is obvious that if this happens in October and if there's a necessity, the elections won't be held in October and could be held, for example, in December - and this won't substantively hinder the democratic process. This is possible in theory. If there is no second wave before 21 November, in this case, the elections will proceed ordinally,” he said

Georgia’s Foreign Minister David Zaklaliani spoke with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to discuss relations between the countries amid the coronavirus including the resumption of flights between Georgia and Germany. Maas said that Germany is working on travel recommendations and after a unified agreement of the European Union on this issue, it will discuss the resumption of flights to Georgia. Maas stated that Germany has a positive outlook on the the outcome of the agreement.

The current tally of infected persons in Georgia stands at 879 with 14 reported deaths. 

5981 Mal angesehen

ARTICLES IN ENGLISH»



MEISTGELESEN



AKTUELLES



OPINION



Call for Contributors: Caucasus Watch is looking for experts, journalists and fact-checking specialists!

“Caucasus Watch” is seeking local specialists from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus region, to assist our research endeavours and help enrich our content.

“Caucasus Watch” is an independent platform, which provides coverage of recent developments in various locations of the Caucasus region for the German and overall European stakeholders. We are an international team of Caucasus enthusiasts and are currently looking for local contributors who focus on social, economic, political and security dynamics of the said region.

The platform offers: I) a flexible format of cooperation, as well as competitive remuneration; II) access to English and German speaking readership in the wider European region; III) an opportunity to join the network of regional specialists through the initiatives and events to be organized by the Caucasus Watch and partner institutions.

Interested individuals are asked to provide a CV and a cover letter along with an abstract or a writing sample (in English or German), to the following address: redaktion@caucasuswatch.de.

Additional questions can be directed to Igor Dostalik through: i.dostalik@caucasuswatch.de.