Elections in Georgia might be postponed due to second wave of Covid-19
On 15 June, Georgian domestic tourism resumed, while the country will open its doors to international tourists on 1 July.
In addition, railway travel within the country has also restarted. The Georgian Railway officials say the company is ready to ensure the safe transportation of passengers and to implement the regulations imposed by the country's Ministry of Health. Although the Georgian government continue to ease restrictions, wearing face masks was made compulsory both in closed spaces and while traveling with public transport.
At the start of tourist season in the country, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia hosted members of the diplomatic corps at Lopota Lake in the Kakheti region. He spoke about the coronavirus crisis, the country’s plans to reboot the economy, how they would proceed with the October elections and other intentions.
The EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell stated that economic issues were not the only topic of discussion at the meeting. “We are happy that the government invited us to speak about the socially vulnerable people as well and about their rights during the pandemic. We should all learn based on experience, this also concerns Georgia. However, on the other hand, Georgia can also teach others and the results the country has achieved prove this,” he said.
The US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan emphasized that the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn were of high importance and that the US would observe them closely. Speaking on the matter of the upcoming elections, which are planned to be held in October, the former Speaker of the Parliament Irakli Kobahidze said that the elections might be postponed due to the fears of a second wave of the pandemic. “In this case, the consultations simply say that if the second wave occurs in the pre-election period, it might be necessary to declare a state of emergency; however, there is nothing tragic about it. It is obvious that if this happens in October and if there's a necessity, the elections won't be held in October and could be held, for example, in December - and this won't substantively hinder the democratic process. This is possible in theory. If there is no second wave before 21 November, in this case, the elections will proceed ordinally,” he said.
Georgia’s Foreign Minister David Zaklaliani spoke with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to discuss relations between the countries amid the coronavirus including the resumption of flights between Georgia and Germany. Maas said that Germany is working on travel recommendations and after a unified agreement of the European Union on this issue, it will discuss the resumption of flights to Georgia. Maas stated that Germany has a positive outlook on the the outcome of the agreement.
The current tally of infected persons in Georgia stands at 879 with 14 reported deaths.