Day: January 23, 2026
ECHR to examine case over elections in Georgia
The European Court of Human Rights has begun examining a case over alleged mass violations of ballot secrecy during Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), acting as an independent election observer, pursued the issue in all electoral districts and courts across Georgia.
The organisation won a case only in Tetritskaro. An appeal later overturned that ruling after a 23-hour court hearing.
The Strasbourg-based court must now decide whether authorities violated ballot secrecy and the right to a fair trial.
The case under consideration in Strasbourg could significantly affect current political and legal processes in Georgia. It focuses on alleged breaches of ballot secrecy involving electronic voting technologies and limits on the right to effective judicial review of electoral disputes.
Details
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, its application to the European Court of Human Rights argues that election authorities carried out widespread violations of the fundamental principle of ballot secrecy during the voting period. The complaint also says that provisions in Georgian law restrict citizens’ ability to challenge election violations and do not meet the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights.
As an election monitoring organisation, GYLA filed complaints with all district election commissions over breaches of ballot secrecy caused by the improper use of electronic technologies. The complaints covered results from 2,263 polling stations where authorities used electronic voting technologies.
Courts and district election commissions rejected the complaints. The only exception came from a district court ruling in Tetritskaro. The Tbilisi Court of Appeal later overturned that decision.
On 4 November 2024, judge Vladimir Khuchua invalidated the results from electronic polling stations in Tetritskaro and Tsalka. He said violations of ballot secrecy occurred during electronic voting. Former public defender Nino Lomjaria said similar violations took place at 30 polling stations.
The European Court of Human Rights will now assess whether the right to free and secret voting was protected at polling stations where electronic technologies were used. It will also examine whether an insufficient number of polling stations abroad restricted the right to vote.
The court has set 15 May 2026 as the deadline for the state to submit its position.
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the Strasbourg-based court accepted the case for substantive review within an unusually short timeframe, underlining its priority status.
On parliamentary elections
After the parliamentary elections held on 26 October 2024, Georgia entered a new and fundamentally different reality.
The ruling party, Georgian Dream, claimed almost 54% of the vote. This figure stands about 12 percentage points higher than exit poll results. Neither domestic observers nor the international community consider the outcome credible.
Observers and experts documented thousands of violations and alleged fraud schemes. These findings cast serious doubt on the election results both inside Georgia and abroad.
The international community does not recognise the outcome and questions its legitimacy. The only European leader to acknowledge the parliamentary elections was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
ECHR to examine case over elections in Georgia
For more than three decades, global leaders have reassured themselves — and their publics — that the so-called rules-based international order remains the backbone of global stability. Even as wars multiply, institutions stall, and power politics return with renewed confidence, the language of multilateralism continues to dominate summit halls and diplomatic communiqués. Davos is no exception.
Russia’s foreign ministry on Georgia
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, praised the actions of Georgia’s authorities, saying they were following a “path of protecting national interests”. She said Moscow seeks to develop “pragmatic relations” with Georgia.
Zakharova added that Tbilisi had not succumbed to external pressure and had rejected what she described as a “Ukrainian or Moldovan scenario” promoted by some Western countries.
Zakharova said that Georgia, despite hopes of joining NATO and integrating into the European Union, had recognised what she described as the false nature of Western promises. She said Tbilisi wants to pursue an independent policy. Zakharova added that Moscow considers it important for Georgia to remain sovereign and not become a “plaything” in the hands of other powers.
“We are trying to build pragmatic relations with Georgia,” Zakharova said. “We believe our relations are natural because of good neighbourliness, close historical and cultural ties, and spiritual unity. We note steps taken by Tbilisi to protect the traditional values and customs of Georgian society from externally imposed neoliberal views aimed at erasing Georgia’s national identity.”
The spokeswoman also pointed to economic factors. She said trade turnover between Georgia and Russia rose by 6% in 2025 to $2.7bn. She added that the number of Russian tourists increased by 11% to 1.6 million.
According to Zakharova, Russia and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States remain Georgia’s main trading partners. She described them as, in effect, an “irreplaceable market”.
On the resumption of political dialogue, Zakharova said there are currently no prerequisites for it. She recalled the period of Mikheil Saakashvili’s rule, when diplomatic relations were severed. She added that more citizens and politicians in Georgia now understand that the country’s prosperity depends not on confrontation, but on cooperation and dialogue with Russia.
Zakharova also described the decision by Vladimir Putin to restore direct flights between Georgia and Russia in May 2023 as a “triumph of common sense”.
“I will never forget how the first [direct] flight in many years took place and how people rejoiced,” Zakharova said. “They were not celebrating the launch of some unique, highly profitable economic project. They were celebrating a display of common sense.
“Families, friends and businesspeople gained the chance to reconnect and to fly without stopovers, as they had done for decades before someone’s ill will put an end to it.
“In this specific example — the resumption of direct air links,” she added, referring to the case cited by JAMnews, “we saw the triumph of justice. Dark evil was defeated by goodwill.”
Russia’s foreign ministry on Georgia