During five weeks in run up to the May 30 local elections and a week after the polling day, Kavkasia TV has allocated more airtime to Tbilisi mayoral candidates and parties in its main news bulletins, then other five TV channels, which were monitored in frames of project supported by EU Delegation to Georgia and UN Development Programme (UNDP).

In a period from April 26 to June 6 Imedi TV dedicated almost half of its election-related overage to the incumbent Tbilisi mayor candidate, Gigi Ugulava - more than any other five television stations. Ugulava’s coverage dominated on other TV channels as well, except of Kavkasia TV, which allocated almost equal time to the incumbent and leader of Alliance for Georgia, Irakli Alasania.

Follow links below to view details of monitoring results:

Length of coverage time allocated to candidates and coverage tone April 26-June 6 – pdf

Media monitoring was carried out by Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC).
 
According to a separate media monitoring, carried out by the OSCE/ODIHR international observation mission, covering six weeks before the election day, the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s First Channel offered viewers “a balanced picture of the campaign in its news.”

“The campaign coverage in news programs of all other monitored television channels lacked balance,” according to the report.

Rustavi 2, Imedi TV, as well as Adjara TV and local Tbilisi station Real TV demonstrated support for the ruling party and its Tbilisi mayoral candidate with Real TV also producing programs “discrediting opposition candidates,” according to OSCE/ODIHR report. Kavkasia TV and Maestro TV, by contrast, served as a platform for the opposition, in particular the Alliance for Georgia, it said.