Observers of the parliamentary elections in Georgia believe that voting took place in "polarized and restrictive circumstances that undermine inclusiveness, transparency and fairness."
This was stated by the head of the ENEMO observation mission, Zlatko Vuyvovich.
The organization recorded a number of violations during the parliamentary elections, in particular:
- cases of violence against representatives of the opposition;
- intimidation of voters;
- discrediting observers;
- abuse of administrative resources.
"The limited application of regulations on the election campaign limited competition, exerted significant pressure on civil society and mass media, and narrowed opportunities for criticism of the government," says Vujvovich.
At the same time, according to him, the election administration counted the votes professionally. But ENEMO is concerned that the CEC could be biased. The voting was observed by 88 members of the organization.
The head of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Nino Dolidze, claims that voters were bribed. According to her, the scale of this bribery is unprecedented. Previously, violations were recorded in 13% of precincts.
On election day, October 26, the organization noticed other attempts to illegally influence the voting results. Among them:
- casting ballots;
- multiple voting;
- control of peopleʼs personal data;
- forcing people to participate in elections;
- the introduction of observers from polling stations.
ISFED notes that 9% of precincts across the country did not maintain voting secrecy, and 9% had problems with marking. Another 11% of people fought near polling stations. Observers emphasized that election day was well organized procedurally, but the atmosphere remained tense.
The international mission to observe the parliamentary elections in Georgia consisted of 529 experts from 42 countries. Among them are 380 experts of the Bureau of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, 60 parliamentarians and employees of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, 39 of the PACE, 38 of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and 12 of the European Parliament.
In a joint statement, experts say that political differences and the numerous advantages of the "Georgian Dream" contributed to uneven voting conditions. Organizations in Georgia talked about the pressure on them of the "law on transparency of foreign influence", as well as attacks and intimidation of activists. This had a significant impact on their work.
- On October 24, the Georgian authorities added the building of the Central Election Commission to the list of strategic objects. It happened two days before the election. Now citizens will be responsible before the law for blocking it. Before that, the CEC building was surrounded by a fence, apparently for reasons of employee safety.
- During the voting on October 26, an unknown man threw a bundle of ballots into the ballot box at the 69th polling station in the city of Marneuli. After that, it was closed. After the end of the voting, the exit polls of the opposition channels showed that the opposition parties have a total of more votes than the pro-government "Georgian Dream". Pro-government channels talked about the opposite results.
Author: Anastasia Mohilevets
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