Parliament speaker: electronic voting system will leave “no room for speculation”
In his remarks over the matter, Papuashvili said the use of the technology in elections would see 70 percent of polling stations equipped with electronic counters, while the rest would have electronic scanners, with all ballots digitised. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Speaker of the Georgian parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the introduction of an electronic voter registration and voting system starting with the 2024 parliamentary elections in the country would leave “no room for speculation”.
In his remarks over the matter, Papuashvili said the use of the technology in elections would see 70 percent of polling stations equipped with electronic counters, while the rest would have electronic scanners, with all ballots digitised.
Not only will they [domestic opposition] not have the opportunity to speculate, there will not be even the slightest complaint in this regard. [...] When technology is involved, there is no room for speculation”, the head of the legislative body said.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the ruling team had made a decision on the widespread introduction of an electronic voter registration and voting system starting with the 2024 elections.
Electronic voting will ultimately strengthen public confidence in the vote-counting process, ensure that more than 70 percent of votes are counted - and results published - within minutes after the closing of the voting process, and eliminate problems related to rigging exit polls and parallel vote tabulation”, the GD official said.
Thea Tsulukiani, the vice prime minister and Georgian minister of culture, on Wednesday said the government’s initiative to introduce e-voting starting with the next scheduled elections would put an end to the “false rhetoric” of alleged election malpractice from the opposition and “once again show the real face” of the latter.
Aleksandre Rakviashvili, an MP from the Girchi opposition party, on Tuesday welcomed the ruling Georgian Dream party’s announcement on introducing electronic voter registration and voting starting with the 2024 Parliamentary elections in the country, calling the move a “step forward” for ensuring a fairer electoral environment.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the ruling team had made a decision on a widespread introduction of an electronic voter registration and voting system starting with the 2024 Parliamentary elections in the country.
The Georgian parliament has re-elected Giorgi Kalandarishvili the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) earlier today. Elected in a second vote, Kalandarishvili will serve as the CEC head for a six-months term.
Givi Mikanadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the introduction of electronic voter registration and voting in the country starting with the 2024 parliamentary elections was a “qualitatively new electoral system” of a “top standard”, in comments to critical reactions to the initiative by a part of the domestic opposition.
Rati Ionatamishvili, an MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the new initiative for introducing electronic voting in elections in the country could cover 90 percent of voters instead of initially offered 70 for the 2024 parliamentary elections, with the remaining ballot papers being instantly digitised and uploaded online after their retrieval from ballot boxes.
The rules and procedural issues committee of the parliament of Georgia on Monday reviewed a bill on the electoral reform proposed by the parliamentary opposition and aiming to make it easier to organise voting by citizens abroad.
Extraordinary and by-elections are being held in Georgia’s ten municipalities on Saturday, with voters set to elect a majoritarian member of the Parliament in Poti, Senaki and Khobi, majoritarian members of city councils (Sakrebulo) in Gurjaani, Tianeti, Akhaltsikhe, Tkibuli and Kutaisi, as well as mayors of Tsageri and Terjola, using “large-scale” electronic voting for the first time in the country.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday summarised the extraordinary elections and by-elections held in ten municipalities of Georgia and said the ruling party had improved the results of 2021 municipal elections in all electoral districts.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday claimed the credibility and political support for the domestic opposition had been “diminished to zero”, following a round of elections and by-elections in 10 municipalities across the country.
Interim parliamentary and mayoral elections will be held on Sunday, with voters set to elect a majoritarian member of the Parliament in Gori and Kaspi, as well as the mayor of Gurjaani, using an electronic voting system, the Central Election Commission said on Saturday.
Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chair of the Central Election Commission of Georgia, said the interim parliamentary and mayoral elections across the country on Sunday had “proved” the “readiness” of the election administration, voters and the public for electronic voting.
Georgia’s election administration will launch a “large-scale” public information campaign starting next week to raise awareness among voters to the newly introduced technology ahead of the upcoming 2024 Parliamentary Elections.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday said the introduction of electronic voting across the country ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary Elections would “remove all kinds of speculation” by domestic “radical groups” about “rigged elections”.
The Central Election Commission of Georgia on Tuesday said the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili was “openly trying” to discredit electronic voting by spreading misinformation, alleging that the new system “is analogue to the Russian one” and would “cancel the elections”.
Electoral reform in Georgia was discussed in a meeting between Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party and members of the United Nations Electoral Needs Assessment Mission, the Georgian Parliament said on Friday.