My Vote, a local observer mission uniting dozens of Georgian civil society organizations, calls on the Prosecutor’s Office to conduct an investigation into actors in the Central Election Commission’s election administration who, she said, were involved in a large-scale rigging scheme.
During the briefing on November 4, Londa Toloraia, the representative of the observer mission, stated that Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Georgia, and his deputy Giorgi Sharabidze, as well as the Secretary of the CEC, Giorgi Javakhishvili, played a key role in the forging process of the Georgian elections. My Vote asserts that they have violated Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to the neglect of official duties.
On Saturday, October 26th, Georgians went to the polls, with the Georgian Dream party emerging as the apparent victor over the pro-European opposition, according to the official CEC results. However, the local and international observers say that the electoral process was marred by substantial electoral fraud. My Vote declares that the Central Election Commission of Georgia did not ensure the secrecy of the ballot, since ballot paper made it possible to identify voter’s decision. “The above-mentioned action of the CEC on the election day allowed ruling party to control the will of the voters on a large scale.” The alleged rigging scheme included confiscating voters’ ID cards before the election, artificial obstacles for independent election observers, as well as instances of fraudulent voting and multiple votes cast by individuals working with Georgian Dream observers and party-affiliated election officials.
According to Toloraia, “the change in the appointment procedures for individuals working with the verification devices of the CEC, along with the determination of their identities one week in advance, has simplified and enabled the ruling party to exert influence over the individuals performing this function, thereby subordinating them to the interests of the ruling party.”
My Vote highlighted incidents with polling stations abroad, particularly in areas with a high number of Georgian migrants. The voting process faced significant challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and a very limited number of registrars, which jeopardized the entire election process. “This decision played into the hands of the ruling party,” Toloraia said.
Toloraia also stressed that CEC had issued accreditation to Russian propagandist figure Alexander Malkevich, a violator of Georgian law “On Occupied Territories”, who is also in a wanted list by the US special services.
According to My Vote, “CEC was one of several state agencies involved in this scheme of large-scale electoral fraud.” The observation mission said it continues its work and will gradually provide the public with information.
Also Read:
- 28/10/2024- Official Preliminary Results: Georgian Dream Leads with 52.99%
- 27/10/2024- My Vote Speaks of ‘Large Scale’ Rigging Scheme as Preliminary Results Give Lead to GD
- 31/10/2024-Reports Locate Founder of Russian Propaganda Network in Tbilisi on Election Day