The Vashadze campaign was also characterized by negative rhetoric,- the National Democratic Institute (NDI) said in a statement on the second round of Georgia’s presidential elections.

“As in the first round, the campaign continued to call Zurabishvili a traitor, linking her to Russian interests, and a security threat in television advertisements. The campaign emphasized the need for a competent government to avoid economic catastrophe and explained that the presidency was the first step in dismantling “inept” GD governance. It also promised an increase in pensions, higher teacher and police salaries, and lower mortgage rates, pledges criticized for being both populist and irrelevant to the mandate of the president. Saakashvili loomed large over the campaign, making daily media appearances and statements, including those criticized by leading CSOs as xenophobic3 and anti-semitic.4 It should be noted that Saakashvili, who is not a citizen of Georgia, is prohibited from campaigning,” the NDI said.