Election Commission Chair says electronic voting system “ready”
Voters elected majoritarian members of the Parliament in the central cities of Gori and Kaspi, and the Mayor of Gurjaani in the east, using an electronic voting system, a new introduction ahead of the parliamentary elections in the country next year. Photo: CEC
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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.
Voters elected majoritarian members of the Parliament in the central cities of Gori and Kaspi, and the Mayor of Gurjaani in the east, using an electronic voting system, a new introduction ahead of the parliamentary elections in the country next year.
The election administration has successfully completed another stage of election modernisation. Today's elections, held in Gori, Kaspi and Gurjaani, proved that the readiness of the election administration, as well as other involved parties, voters and public for electronic voting [system] is ensured”, Kalandarishvili said.
The official noted the election administration had organised the voting in accordance with international standards, and the process was “flawless”.
Kalandarishvili also highlighted the “high level” of voter awareness, which he said was “undoubtedly the logical result of large-scale and active information and educational campaigns implemented for this purpose”.
The preliminary results of the midterm elections of the Parliament saw Mamuka Tuskadze of the Georgian Citizens for Social Justice receive 1,344 votes, with Giorgi Sosiashvili of the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party winning the vote with 19,032.
In the elections for the Mayor of Gurjaani, the preliminary results showed Giorgi Machavariani of GD receive 14,450 votes.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
Representatives of Georgia’s Central Election Commission on Monday introduced the electronic voting technology intended for introduction at next year’s Parliamentary Elections to employees of the Government Administration as part of the public information campaign for informing citizens about the novelty ahead of the 2024 vote.
The 11th edition of the International Conference of Election Management Bodies, dedicated to electoral technology and combating disinformation, is being hosted by the Central Election Commission of Georgia in the Black Sea city of Batumi on Wednesday.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Sunday said it was in the Georgian Government’s “interest” to hold the 2024 Parliamentary Elections “at the highest standard”.
Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani on Thursday said he backed enabling voters to participate in elections with non-electronic identification cards, in response to claims by domestic opposition groups that said the prospect could allow the Government to “rig” votes.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the Parliament, on Friday said it was “very regrettable” that only the United National Movement - the largest opposition faction in the Parliament - was expected to overcome the five percent election threshold in next year’s parliamentary elections.
Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chair of the Central Election Commission, on Friday said the Commission had won three awards at the 19th International Electoral Affairs Symposium, as a recognition of the CEC’s activities carried out in a “proper, fair, and transparent environment following international standards”.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said all identification cards issued before 2011, prior to the introduction of electronic IDs across the country, would lose their legal validity.
The Georgian Central Election Commission on Thursday accused unspecified domestic political actors of using the latest opinion by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, which recommended the election of the CEC Chair and its members by two-thirds of the parliamentary majority, to “discredit” the body.
The ongoing work for public information campaigns for this year's parliamentary elections in Georgia was discussed in a meeting between Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chair of the Central Election Commission, and representatives of international organisations and diplomatic missions in the country.