GEORGIA: PARTIES SIGN CODE OF CONDUCT PAVING THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000395 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: PARTIES SIGN CODE OF CONDUCT PAVING THE WAY FOR ELECTORAL REFORM Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d). ¶1. (C) Summary and Comment. In a low-profile working meeting on February 26, Georgian political party leaders met to sign a "code of conduct" which represents the first step in forming a working group of party leaders from inside and outside of Parliament to develop an Election Legislation Working Group (ELWG) which will draft Georgia's long-awaited electoral code reforms. The code calls on the signatories to commit to a process intent on "furthering the goal of free, fair and transparent elections in Georgia in accordance with OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe/Venice Commission election standards." The Speaker of Parliament has supported the National Democratic Institute's efforts to develop a code of conduct and has encouraged a range of parties to sign to take part in the ELWG. ¶2. (C) On February 26, eight parties, including the ruling UNM, signed the code, and five other parties have indicated they may choose to sign before a deadline of March 12, including members of Irakli Alasania's new Alliance and Burjanadze's party. Their signatures pave the way for their participation in the ELWG. The parties who signed the code have taken an important step in contributing to Georgia's election code reform. Those who have not yet chosen to participate may miss their best opportunity to forge the rules of the game for Georgia's next elections. Post hopes that Georgian-ownership and control of the Working Group will yield a process which the political parties support, as opposed to a process either imposed by international organizations and embassies or one run exclusively by the Government. End Summary and Comment. ¶3. (C) At NDI's offices in Tbilisi on February 26, 16 parties met to sign a "Code of Conduct for Political Parties Willing to Participate in the Election Legislation Working Group." NDI had worked for weeks to find acceptable language for all parties to enable the Speaker's working group to begin its work. Out of the 16 parties present, eight chose to sign (listed below). Each made statements supporting the process as a first step in Georgia's efforts to bring its electoral code in line with international norms prior to local elections in 2010, parliamentary elections in 2012 and presidential elections in 2013. The document was signed 
without the media present, although all parties were welcome to distribute the document and make their own comments about the code. OSCE, COE, UNDP and Embassy observers attended and observed the discussion and signing. ¶4. (C) NDI brought the group together -- the challenge now is for those who have chosen to participate in the ELWG to undertake the challenge of reforming the code. Those parties deciding not to sign the code noted that they are concerned about the rules process for the ELWG. They feared the political liabilities of the appearance of cooperation with the ruling party without the assurance of how decision-making processes will work. None of their representatives raised objections to the language in the code, but rather are focused on how to minimize the role of their future opponents. Many of the parties not joining the ELWG are placing their hopes on protests in April to remove the President, rather than tackling the heavy lifting necessary to reform Georgia's electoral code. ¶5. (U) Parties which signed the code (all parliamentary parties except as noted): United National Movement (UNM), Christian Democrats (CDM),We Ourselves, Industry Will Save QChristian Democrats (CDM),We Ourselves, Industry Will Save Georgia (non-parliamentary opposition),Labor (technically a parliamentary party although they do not participate), Democratic Party, Georgian Troupe, National Democratic Party (non-parliamentary). ¶6. (U) Parties which attended the meeting but did not choose to sign (all of which are non-parliamentary): Republicans (Usupashvili),Conservatives, Democratic Movement/United Georgia (Burjanadze),People's Party, National Forum. ¶7. (U) Parties which were notably absent (all of which are non-pariamentary): New Rights (Gamkrelidze),Georgia's Way, Freedom Party. ¶8. (U) Text of the code: Code of Conduct for Political Parties Willing to Participate in the Election Legislation Working Group Towards furthering the goal of free, fair and transparent elections in Georgia and in accordance with OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe/Venice Commission election standards, the signatory parties will adhere to the following principles during the election code reform process: TBILISI 00000395 002 OF 002 -- All participants should participate in the process in good faith and without pre-conditions. They should conduct all election code discussions in a constructive manner and aim for consensus. -- The media is excluded from all sessions and any comments made during the sessions are to be treated as private. Political parties should advance positions only if they are official party positions, rather than the private opinion of individual participants. Parties should aim for consistency of representation, nominating one representative each plus one substitute member. All representatives of the parties should aim to attend all the sessions. If they are not able to attend their substitute should attend in their place and the organizers should be informed. -- Political parties should avoid any form of threatening or disrespectful behavior during the process. -- Political parties accept that any agreement reached should be supported no only during the legislative process but also afterwards as reforms are implemented on the ground. This means upholding the spirit, as well as the letter, of any agreed reforms. -- The ultimate objective for Georgia is a stable environment for the conduct of elections. This means that a period of stability will be needed after the enactment of any reforms. -- Participating parties will adhere to any other rules agreed by consensus by the Election Legislation Working Group. End Text. TEFFT