OSCE publishes conclusions on election violations in Georgia

The Georgian authorities took measures that gave them an advantage on the eve of the parliamentary elections, the OSCE concluded. Specifically, they implemented an amnesty program and limited the presence of local observers to confirm electronic voting, the international observers said.

The SOVA portal published excerpts from the report of the ODIHR/OSCE observation mission. The observers highlighted in the document the violations they recorded during the campaign and on election day, October 26.

The ruling party had an advantage before the election—ODIHR/OSCE mission

The international mission emphasized that some steps taken by the ruling party before the election obtained an advantage. In particular, the observers pointed to the amnesty program for a list of crimes, which applies to a large number of people.

They argue that this step gave the ruling party an “undue advantage” and that it “blurred the line between party and state, contrary to international best practice and OSCE commitments.”

Additionally, the Georgian Central Election Commission limited transparency by denying local observers and political party representatives access to the verification of the electronic elections and by providing insufficient documentation.

Observers said that in October, the CEC instructed the company to conduct a new test of the devices specifically for the parliamentary elections. The company completed two of the three stages of the audit but did not publish the report until election day.

The international observers noted that the audit process did not allow key stakeholders, such as political parties and local observers, to participate, and they had limited access to relevant documentation, which limited transparency and contradicted international best practices.

ODIHR/OSCE reported cases of pressure on citizens

Specifically, ODIHR/OSCE also reported cases of pressure on citizens. They emphasized that reports of intimidation, coercion, and pressure are worrisome, as some voters may not be able to freely choose and are afraid to vote freely.

The conclusions of the international mission also describe cases of possible violations of the secrecy of the vote.

“They often directed cameras towards voter identification devices or voting booths, potentially jeopardizing the secrecy of the vote,” they stated.

The observers also noted that unidentified individuals were registering voters outside the polling stations, while party representatives were registering voters inside the polling stations.

“According to the reports of the international monitoring mission observers, at 4% of polling stations, whole families or groups of people voted at the same time. In a number of cases, the International Monitoring Mission’s observers received reports of alleged vote-buying,” the OSCE/ODIHR report added.

“While voters were offered a choice between 18 candidate lists and candidates could generally campaign freely, Georgia’s parliamentary elections were marred by entrenched polarization and concerns over recently adopted legislation and its impact on fundamental freedoms and civil society, as well as highly divisive campaign rhetoric and widespread reports of pressure on voters”, the OSCE international observers said in a statement on October 27.

Georgian elections results

The Georgian Central Election Commission has calculated a landslide victory for the ruling Georgian Dream party, which reportedly received more than 54% of the vote. This is not enough for the constitutional majority that the ruling party planned to obtain, but it is enough for the current government to continue to run the country in a mono-majority mode.

It also means a sharp, though expected, escalation of the political crisis: all opposition parties running for parliament refused to consider the elections fair, and President Salome Zurabishvili declared that she did not recognize the announced results.

“This has never happened before. We have witnessed and become victims of a Russian special operation, one of the new forms of hybrid warfare against our people and against our country,” Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said in the evening of October 27.

Georgian opposition and independent observers reported fraud in the voting

Instead, two sociological firms that conducted exit polls recorded the opposite picture to the official results.

According to their data, although the ruling party is in first place and receives 40–42%, it should not have a majority in parliament. Instead, the opposition parties jointly receive more than 50% and should form a new coalition and government. It is worth noting that the key opposition parties publicly announced before the election day that they would form a coalition if they won.

It’s essential to note that election observers also reported a large-scale system of fraud. Several independent observers reported seeing the ruling party pre-marked in the ballots. The non-governmental mission ENEMO also reported significant violations.

“Key legislative actions included banning pre-electoral coalitions, raising the electoral threshold from 1% to 5%, banning donations from legal entities, and abolishing gender quotas. These changes negatively impacted the ability of smaller parties, emerging political entities, and female candidates to compete effectively,” ENEMO said in the report.

EU’s call and investigations

According to recent reports, the EU expects the Georgian authorities to thoroughly investigate the issues they observed during the parliamentary elections and will use the final report from international observers as a guide for their assessment.

In Georgia, the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Special Investigation Service have launched investigations into alleged crimes committed during the pre-election period and on election day in 47 criminal cases.

On October 30, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office summoned President Zurabishvili for questioning in connection with reports of election fraud. She refused to appear for questioning. In the coming weeks, we expect the political crisis in Georgia and internal tensions to intensify.