In Strasbourg, at the 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Mayor of the Poti Municipality, Beka Vacharadze, participated in the thematic discussion titled “Free Elections at the Local and Regional Level.”
During his speech as a delegate, he focused on the city’s European identity and democratic principles. According to his statement, Europe is not merely a geographical choice – it is a values-based choice rooted in democracy, the rule of law, the protection of human rights, and respect for sovereignty, upon which both state and local governance are built.
Beka Vacharadze also spoke in detail about the elections held in Georgia and explained that this process represented a full expression of democracy. As the mayor of the municipality, he noted that in Poti, the ruling team focused its campaign on direct communication with voters and on addressing their needs. In contrast, a part of the opposition built its campaign on external assessments instead of engaging in dialogue with voters, which led to a lack of trust toward them.
During his speech as a delegate, Vacharadze placed special emphasis on the technological innovations introduced in the electoral process.
“It is particularly important to note that the elections were conducted using modern electronic systems – standards that completely eliminate the possibility of manipulation. Accordingly, the rejection of the results by certain political groups cannot serve as grounds for discrediting the democratic process. It is also noteworthy that the reliability of the electronic system was not questioned by the opposition before the announcement of the election results. On the contrary, they welcomed it. However, their position changed after the publication of the results,” stated Beka Vacharadze.
According to the mayor of the municipality, despite the opposition’s refusal to engage in competition in Poti, high voter turnout was recorded, which indicates trust in the reforms and the electoral system.
“Any attempt aimed at spreading disinformation and deliberately discrediting democratic institutions is unacceptable to us. Fact-based assessment, objectivity, and responsible dialogue are the principles on which our common cooperation should be based,” said Beka Vacharadze. He once again emphasized that Georgia continues its development, which is based on the traditional values of the European family: human dignity, the sovereignty of the country, freedom, and democracy.
In the 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the following members of the Georgian delegation also participated: Deputy Head of the Delegation, Chairperson of the Legal Issues and Human Rights Protection Commission of the Tbilisi Municipal Assembly, Nino Vardosanidze; member of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Gogi Putkaradze; member of the Zugdidi Municipal Assembly, Bela Mosia; Chairperson of the Tbilisi Municipal Assembly, Zurab Abashidze; member of the Gardabani Municipal Assembly, Tamar Khachidze; Mayor of Akhaltsikhe, Varlam Tsiklauri; and member of the Kutaisi Municipal Assembly, Tekla Meburishvili.
The Georgian delegates took part in discussions on such pressing topics as Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, the protection of social rights, the prevention of violence against elected officials, the involvement of youth at the local level, and the role of artificial intelligence in municipal governance.