15 November 2024,   17:27
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Electronic elections are not 100% guarantor - Kelly Degnan

Electronic elections are not 100% guarantor. In some countries, after gaining some experience, they decided that it is not the best, it has certain limitations, therefore it is important to inform the population about how it works, the US Ambassador to Georgia said at a farewell press conference.

“It is necessary to conduct an educational campaign. I am sure that the Central Election Commission will do its best in the coming months. There is more than a year left to inform the public, as well as the representatives and employees of the election commissions, so that next year"s elections can be conducted smoothly. Electronic elections are not 100% guarantor. We have seen in other countries where electronic elections are used, including my country. In some countries, after gaining some experience, they decided that it is not the best, it has some limitations, so it is important to make the population aware of how it works.

It is very important that the next elections take place without difficulties, so that there are no delays and technical glitches. If you look at the OSCE/ODIHR report, which was published after 2020/2021, no one called it fair. There were a number of good events, which even at the time we said were well managed during the coronavirus. There are positive developments, but what we want to see is that each election is better than the last. Many voters who filed a complaint believed that the process was not conducted properly, there was no proper study, investigation of complaints. It is important that the voter feels that their complaint has been fully considered. They should have faith that the elections are fair. The OSCE and other observers agree with this view. An observation mission will be set up for next year, and everyone agrees that there will be very important elections in 2024. In 2020, international voters couldn"t even come because of the pandemic, which is partly why there were so many questions, so many disputes at the end of the process”, - said Kelly Degnan.

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