TI Georgia: ‘31 October elections were a step back compared with 2016 parliamentary elections’

Local NGO Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) says the analysis of 170 election-related violations and 46 complaints ‘makes it clear that the Georgian parliamentary elections were a step back compared with the 2016 parliamentary elections’.

In its summary of monitoring the October 31 parliamentary elections, TI writes that election day was marked by physical confrontations outside polling stations, obstruction of the work of observers and journalists, including physical attacks on journalists and damaging of their property.

TI says that the Central Election Commission (CEC) published the initial preliminary election results 7.5 hours after the closing of polling stations, which represents a deterioration of the practice established during the elections over the last eight years, and gives the opposition parties reason to suspect manipulation occurred in the results.

Obstruction of observers’ work and registration of complaints

Five individuals physically assaulted a TI observer outside polling station No. 12 in Rustavi. TI’s observers and observers from other organizations were unfairly expelled from several polling stations.

Violation of vote secrecy

There were several cases in multiple polling stations where voters showed their ballots to individuals standing nearby upon exiting the booths. Stationary video cameras were installed too close to the voting booths in several polling stations, which in some cases could monitor voter’s choices. Several commission members and voters took photos of their own ballots after filling them out.

Violation of COVID-19 safety rules

In multiple polling stations, commission members did not wear protective shields, distancing was often not observed, and the rules of wearing face masks were also violated. In the second half of the day and especially during the vote count even face masks were often not worn.

Qualifications of commission members

In most polling stations, insufficient qualifications of commission members made it difficult to conduct the electoral process according to the rules. This was a problem during the vote and during the process of counting votes.

TI recommends the CEC ensure the publication of initial preliminary results as promptly as possible in order to avoid questions concerning its work and urges Georgian law enforcers to investigate all cases containing elements of crimes.