The Communications Commission has upheld the complaints of the political unions Strong Georgia – Lelo, For the People, For Freedom and Gakharia for Georgia against Teleimedi and Rustavi 2, and issued the broadcasters with violation protocols. 

According to the complaints, despite the earlier ComCom and court rulings penalising both broadcasters for their refusal to place paid political adverts, they continued to reject the paid ads submitted by Strong Georgia and Gakharia for Georgia. 

According to the Election Code, a broadcast licence holder or authorised broadcaster must, not later than 5 calendar days from the 60^th day before polling, for the purpose of publishing on the website of the Communications Commission, submit information on airtime tariffs for the paid pre-election advertising campaign. Such tariffs shall be effective from the 50^th day before the polling. The broadcaster publishing the tariffs is obliged to air the paid adverts submitted by the relevant political parties. Failure to do so violates the legislation. In addition, the guidebook of the Communications Commission prohibits discrimination and requires broadcasters to air the submitted paid political adverts of all electoral subjects equally. 

In light of the above, the Communications Commission deemed Rustavi 2 and Teleimedi to have violated the Election Code and issued the broadcasters with violation reports.