Court annuls Georgian election results
A court has annulled the voting results at 30 polling stations in the Tetritskaro and Tsalka municipalities in Georgia, ruling that ballot secrecy there was violated during the recent parliamentary election. Judge Vladimir Khuchua thus upheld a lawsuit filed earlier by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA).
On October 30, GYLA demanded the annulment of results in all districts where elections were conducted electronically. The principle of ballot secrecy was widely violated, stated the organization’s chair, Nona Kurdovanidze. The review of complaints began on October 31 in district election commissions and continued in court.
On November 3, it was reported that Tbilisi city and district courts had rejected all claims.
According to the GYLA representatives, the current decision by Judge Vladimir Khuchua has set a new precedent:
“Authorities may challenge this decision, but it does not change the fact that this particular court acknowledged to the public that ballot secrecy—a constitutional principle of conducting elections—was violated.”
The association intends to appeal the decisions of other courts that did not uphold their claims.
According to official data, the ruling Georgian Dream party won the October 26 parliamentary elections with nearly 54% of the vote—12% more than the exit poll results. Observers and experts report thousands of violations and instances of fraud in the voting process.
Court annuls Georgian election results