Ruling party misusing administrative resources
By Messenger Staff
Monday, April 26
Financial resources have been allotted to the local administrations in Georgia prior to the elections. They have been given 34% more money than last year. Tbilisi's budget for 2010 has also seen an unprecedented increase. The number of the people hired by Tbilisi municipality has increased too, meaning salary costs have risen sharply.
Opponents of such increases say that the ruling party is doing this to try and reward those who will help the ruling in its election campaign. The municipality has also violated the law by increasing pensions in Tbilisi by GEL, 10 thus discriminating against pensioners elsewhere in the country.
Transparency International observation revealed that during the local election campaign in 2006 and before the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2008 similar things happened, whereas in 2007 and 2009, when there were no elections, there was no additional funding for the local authorities. TI also pointed out that very often senior members of the ruling party participate in social welfare programmes financed from the state budget, which the Government-run media outlets then present as ruling party programmes, not state financed ones.
Various other steps are taken to please the population at election time, such as increasing student grants, giving out public transport vouchers, subsidising medicine and utility payments and so on. These kind of steps give an advantage to the ruling party.
Opponents of such increases say that the ruling party is doing this to try and reward those who will help the ruling in its election campaign. The municipality has also violated the law by increasing pensions in Tbilisi by GEL, 10 thus discriminating against pensioners elsewhere in the country.
Transparency International observation revealed that during the local election campaign in 2006 and before the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2008 similar things happened, whereas in 2007 and 2009, when there were no elections, there was no additional funding for the local authorities. TI also pointed out that very often senior members of the ruling party participate in social welfare programmes financed from the state budget, which the Government-run media outlets then present as ruling party programmes, not state financed ones.
Various other steps are taken to please the population at election time, such as increasing student grants, giving out public transport vouchers, subsidising medicine and utility payments and so on. These kind of steps give an advantage to the ruling party.