Georgia‘s parliamentary election on October 26th was marked by serious and substantial violations. This suggests a larger scheme to tamper with the final results. The opposition parties have stated that they refuse to accept the official results which place Georgian Dream in the lead. They have listed all the ways they believe the ruling has achieved their victory.
The following are the main accusations of voter fraud:
* Complex Election Rigging: Observers concluded there was a sophisticated plan in place to manipulate electoral processes.
* Disruption in Verification Systems. There have been reports of deliberate breakdowns of systems designed to verify the voter’s identity, compromising the integrity of the identification procedure.
* Infractions of Ballot Marking Protocols: We have seen many instances where the proper ballot marking protocol was not followed. This compromises the voting process.
* Restriction on Observer Monitoring : Observers were not allowed to monitor the voter identification process adequately, limiting transparency.
Specific Incidents
* Multiple Ballots Issued: Several reports indicate that voters received multiple ballots instead of the one ballot they were entitled during the first half of day.
* Pre-marked ballots: In some alarming cases, the ballots were already marked to favor the ruling party when they were distributed to voters.
* The confiscation of voter ID cards: There have been allegations that ID cards were “rented” or confiscated from voters. This allegedly facilitated the manipulation of the electoral system.
* Collection of Personal Data: Campaign efforts included collecting personal data from voters which was later used to execute the rigging plan.
Pressure on Observers
* Physical Assaults & Intimidation : Observers reported unprecedented levels of pressure, including physical assaults, verbal insults & intimidation, as well as unfounded expulsions.
* Obstruction of Media Workers : Journalists were faced with significant barriers in their reporting, which indicates a wider effort to suppress information.
* Mobilization by Unauthorized Individuals : It was reported that aggressive, unauthorized individuals had gathered around polling stations and used intimidation tactics to intimidate voters.
Additional Violations
* The Mobilization of Voters by the Ruling Party: The ruling party has been accused of a level of mobilization that is unprecedented, using vehicles to transport voting voters to polling booths.
* Manipulation by Personal Data: The campaign collected personal data to exert undue influence on voters, further complicating electoral integrity.
* Voting collapse in overseas precincts. Significant issues have been noted, including insufficient space and a lack of registration staff. This led to a breakdown of the voting process.
Reported Violations By My Vote* (as at 11pm on October 26, 2016):
* 347 violations in the marking process.
* 89 reports have been made of violations of the secrecy surrounding the voting process.
* 341 instances of unregistered individuals at polling stations.
* 96 incidents of physical violence, confrontations, and threats.
My Vote’s election observers reported 163 obstruction cases during the elections.
*My Vote, a local observer missions uniting Georgian civil societies organizations. Source: civil.ge
These violations were described by some as being systematic in several regions, including Marneuli and Bolnisi. They also occurred in Gori and in a number of districts in Tbilisi such as Gldani and Isani.
The opposition claims that, in light of these serious accusations, the preliminary results of the Central Election Commission are not accurate representations of the will of Georgians. They have pledged to continue demanding that the results of the elections be annulled based on evidence of widespread manipulations and irregularities.
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