The Central Election Commission of Georgia stated on November 2, that the accreditation they granted to Russian government propagandist Alexander Malkevich was “according to the electoral legislation“. They also said that “CEC does not have access to a person’s legal status, and that is outside its scope of activity.”
On November 1, the pro opposition TV station Pirveli broadcast a report stating that Malkevich not only visited Georgia during election day but also received accreditation by the CEC.
Natia Ioseliani was the spokesperson for the organization and said that at a CEC briefing, “any local or international media representative can be accredited by following a simple process, which includes sending relevant information via e-mail. The electoral administration will only issue an accreditation if the documents submitted comply with the electoral laws.
Several days after the election, reports of Malkevich’s presence in Tbilisi the day of the 26th October elections appeared. Malkevich has been sanctioned by a number of countries, including the United States.
Alexander Malkevich’s exact arrival in Georgia and how he got there is still a mystery. Malkevich broke the Georgian Law on Occupied Territory at least once when he visited occupied Tskhinvali at the end August 2023. Alan Gagloev, the de-facto ruler of the occupied area, awarded Malkevich with the “Order of Friendship”. This was in recognition of his contribution to the development and strengthening of friendly relationships between peoples as well as the 15th anniversary of Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia.
Malkevich is the Russian propaganda machine’s chief in the occupied Donbass in Ukraine. He was also a close associate to the notorious Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prgozhin.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia did not comment on the exact date and time the Russian journalist entered Georgia.
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