'Parliamentary elections are "litmus test" for Georgia'

Georgia's parliamentary elections, along with a presidential poll to be held next year, will be "a litmus test of the way democracy works" in the country, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Tuesday.

"I'm sure that the Georgian authorities do all they can to make sure that the elections will be free, fair and transparent," Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels. "Elections are, of course, an essential part of a well-functioning democracy."

He welcomed the fact that "so many" international observers had been invited to Georgia to monitor the parliamentary poll.

Parliamentary elections are being held in Georgia. Around 14 parties and two political blocs are taking part in the elections. Parliament will receive more authority in 2013 after amendments to the Constitution take force resulting in the president's power being reduced. The elections will be declared valid if the number of voters reaches one-third.


/Trend/