**Georgia’s Elections Under Scrutiny**
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has spoken out about the country’s recent elections, calling them “Russian-style” and accusing the ruling party of rigging the vote. The President addressed the European Parliament, stating that all institutions in Georgia are now under control of a single party.
**Control Over Institutions**
The President said that the parliament, government, central electoral commission, central bank, anti-corruption office, and even the pension fund are now controlled by one party. The justice system is also entirely under the party’s control, from lower courts to the constitutional court.
**Rigged Elections**
President Zurabishvili described the elections as “systematically rigged” and “highly sophisticated”. She said that the electoral code was changed earlier to ensure full control of the central electoral commission by those appointed by the head of the commission.
**Violence and Intimidation**
The President also spoke about violence and intimidation tactics used against the public sector during the elections. Call centers were used to mobilize support, with around 3,500 such centers operating during the election period.
**Black Money Used**
It was reported that massive amounts of black money were used during the elections, with around 600 million Georgian Laris (approximately 200 million US dollars) being exchanged in October alone.
**No Police Presence on Election Day**
The President stated that there was an absence of police presence on election day, and she personally witnessed violence in some districts. She also tried to contact the Minister of Internal Affairs but could not reach him.
**Lack of Independence in Electoral Process**
President Zurabishvili accused the ruling party of violating two fundamental principles during the elections: universality and confidentiality. The diaspora community was denied voting stations, and the electronic voting system was implemented without essential controls such as fingerprint or facial recognition.
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