Displaying items by tag: Georgia

State prosecutors in Georgia are investigating possible election fraud following opposition claims that the results of the recent parliamentary elections were falsified. They will question president Salome Zourabichvili, a vocal critic of the election process; she has declared the results invalid due to a ‘Russian special operation’ – a charge denied by Russia. Joe Biden and the EU have expressed concerns over irregularities and democratic decline in Georgia. Although the ruling Georgian Dream party was declared the winner with 54% of the vote, the opposition condemned the results as a ‘constitutional coup’. International observers noted instances of voter intimidation, bribery, and ballot stuffing, but did not go as far as labelling the election as rigged. The electoral commission has defended the election as fair, but said that it would conduct a recount at a small number of randomly selected polling stations.

A judge has overturned changes made by Georgia's Republican-controlled state election board in August, which a conservative group argued would disrupt voting rights ahead of the presidential election on 5 November. His ruling followed a lawsuit by the conservative group Eternal Vigilance Action, which claimed the board overstepped its authority. The changes included empowering county election officials to investigate discrepancies in vote counts before certifying results. The move drew bipartisan criticism; one official warned that it would undermine voter confidence and burden election workers. Democrats, who filed a separate lawsuit, argued the rules aimed to delay certification, a mandatory part of election outcomes. The judge’s ruling follows a similar decision to block a rule requiring ballots be counted by hand, which Democrats said was another attempt to impede certification. Georgia is expected to be a key battleground state in the presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Georgia prosecutors have charged Donald Trump and 18 others with attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump is facing thirteen new charges, including racketeering. Racketeering is organised crime where someone makes money through illegal activities. Penalties are prison terms - five to twenty years, or £197,000 fines - which can help persuade subordinates to cut deals with the prosecution in exchange for lesser sentences. Organised criminal activity is prosecuted under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act; this includes convicting mafia bosses. When the court proceedings take place, they will dominate the next presidential election - making it a campaign unlike any other.

When the ruling party, Georgian Dream, backtracked on a promise to transition to a fully proportional parliamentary system before the 2020 elections, thousands of citizens protested, demanding a progressive electoral reform. But such protesters face smear campaigns and accusations of bias - typical of the intimidation tactics used in such situations. This also happened recently in Brazil. Those who denounce corruption and human rights abuses are often the target of disinformation campaigns, with their reports and findings dismissed as ‘fake news’. Anti-corruption activism relies strongly on trust in independent media. The use of social media and the impact of fake news is a real threat for the work of organisations like Transparency International (TI). But fake news is not always easy to detect and spreads rapidly. What can be done? In Georgia, for example, coordinated accusations against TI through anonymous Facebook posts were recently detected, labelled and debunked by another civil society group.

For several years, our team Highway19 has been involved in holding Prayer Summits for the fruition of the Highway in Isaiah 19:23-25.

During these Prayer Summits, we have witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit transform nations, and were blessed along with the many people who participated in these events.

This year, the Highway 19 Prayer Summit will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia August 16-19, 2019 included.

Please join us in prayers for the powerful and moving of the Holy Spirit for anointing the speakers, the participants, and for the churches in Tbilisi, Georgia to be a blessing to the nation, and the countries around it in the region.

This also serves as an invitation to all prayer partners who are willing to join us.

Feel free to contact the reference below.

Bro. Evan - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More info and Registration Form:https://forms.gle/eDw2JxLFTz9bqoZ1A

For several years, our team Highway 19 has been involved in holding Prayer Summits for the fruition of the Highway in Isaiah 19:23-25.

During these Prayer Summits, we have witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit transform nations, and were blessed along with the many people who participated in these events.

This year, the Highway 19 Prayer Summit will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia August 16-19, 2019 included.

Please join us in prayers for the powerful and moving of the Holy Spirit for anointing the speakers, the participants, and for the churches in Tbilisi, Georgia to be a blessing to the nation, and the countries around it in the region.

This also serves as an invitation to all prayer partners who are willing to join us.

Feel free to contact the reference below.

Bro. Evan - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More info and Registration Form:https://forms.gle/eDw2JxLFTz9bqoZ1A