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OSCE election observation mission releases its first report

25 December 2007 10:59 (UTC +04:00)

An OSCE election observation mission released its first report on December 21, saying Georgiaâ€™s election laws are â€œgenerally conducive to the conduct of democratic elections, if implemented in good faith,â€ but raising concerns over allegations of campaign violations and last-minute amendments to election laws, APA reports
â€œSuch late amendments are generally inconsistent with good practice in electoral matters,â€ the carefully-worded interim report warned. Parliament approved a bundle of election law amendments on November 22.
The observation mission noted the â€œhighly polarizedâ€ election atmosphere in the country, documenting complaints from the political opposition about incumbent presidential candidate Mikheil Saakashviliâ€™s alleged abuse of administrative resources and pressure on state employees, as well as government accusations that the opposition plan to protest the results of the election regardless of whether it is conducted democratically./APA/