• According to the news portal [1] QvemoQartli.ge, Teacher’s National Day in Gardabani was celebrated on October 19 instead of the official date (October 27). According to the source, this event was organized by the City Hall, attended by teachers from all schools, and featured banners in the colors of the “Georgian Dream” party. Teachers received gifts accompanied by blue cards with number “41” and congratulatory text from Vice Governor Giorgi Shinjikashvili and Parliament member and ruling party’s current parliamentary candidate Savalan Mirzoev. It’s also noteworthy that both Giorgi Shinjikashvili [2]and Gardabani Mayor David Kargareteli [3] posted information about the event on their social networks, with the mayor confirming that the event was conducted with the support of the aforementioned individuals.

According to the Election Code, it is prohibited to use budget-funded events for election campaign purposes. In this case, the placement of “Georgian Dream” supporting banners and distribution of flyers at an event organized by the City Hall represents pre-election campaigning with budget funds, as well as, creates the perception that the event is organized by the ruling party. According to the Election Code, such an activity is considered the use of administrative resources and carries a punishment of up to 4000 GEL.