Domestic election observers report alleged breaches of voter confidentiality, ballot stuffing, procedural irregularities

Several domestic organisations have reported various violations during the ongoing parliamentary elections in Georgia, including breaches of voter confidentiality, ballot stuffing, and procedural irregularities.

Nino Dolidze, the head of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, said monitoring at polling stations revealed 9.1 percent of them experienced various incidents by 2 p.m., including “violations of confidentiality, observer restrictions, acts of violence, and defects of electronic devices”.

Dolidze noted specific incidents, such as ballot stuffing at Marneuli polling station #69 in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia, and a commission’s member voting twice in the #18 polling station of Ambrolauri, in the western part of the country.

Other violations included:

• A voting agitation was observed at Kaspi polling station #1, leading to an attempt by an observer to picture the activity that was hindered
• A commission member confiscating an observer's mobile phone in Ambrolauri polling station #18
• Poor arrangements at polling stations #3 and #26 in the Isani district of the capital city of Tbilisi, obstructing proper observation of the electoral process
• Reports of multiple ballot issuance, which were addressed following the intervention

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Centre reported violations related to the secrecy of the voting process, particularly in the municipalities of Marneuli and Gardabani, where images of ballots were captured in violation of legal norms. The organisation added a chair at Gardabani's polling station had deleted the images, while complaints were logged by observers from the Centre.

The body added its observers had filed six complaints and seven formal remarks regarding various infractions as of 1 p.m.

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association hosted a briefing highlighting ongoing violations detected during the monitoring mission by 3 p.m.

The Association said several instances of compromising voter secrecy, interference with observers and media activities, and cases of voting agitation had been identified, which it said, undermined the principles of fair and safe elections.

The observers of the Association have recorded a total of 27 entries in the record book, 23 within the precinct election commission, and 11 complaints submitted to the district election commission.

Additionally, the body said its observers had noted the presence of a minibus bringing individuals with pre-marked ballots near the perimeter of the 34th district in Batumi.

Irregularities have also been observed in the voting process with portable ballot boxes, it added.

In terms of violations against media representatives, the Association said there had been “acts of aggression” and “a hostile environment” created by activists at the election polling stations and members of the election commissions.

Abroad, procedural violations were also reported by the Association. In Finland, chairpersons determined the distribution of functions among commission members on the election day, while in Bratislava, ballot boxes were sealed in advance. Locations such as Vilnius, Munich, Madrid, and Prague also faced delays in opening polling stations, the Association said earlier today.