According to information provided by the GYLA’s observers by 10 AM, the polling procedures started on time and without substantial violations in most precincts. However, the observation has revealed a negative trend related to procedural violations.

The violations are mainly related to refusal to allow observers to enter polling stations, inappropriate conduct of procedures of casting of lots, and failure to perform the functions determined by casting of lots.

At this stage, the GYLA’s observers have identified more than 10 violations, including as follows:

• At precinct no. 19 of Gardabani, the GYLA’s observer was not allowed to enter the polling station after 7 AM (a complaint has been filed);
• At precinct no. 65 of Zugdidi, a complaint was filed in connection with violation of the procedures of casting of lots; at precincts no. 23 of Saburtalo, no. 54 of Telavi, and no. 3 of Mtatsminda, the functions determined by casting of lots were exchanged arbitrarily – complaints have been filed in connection with most of the violations;
• At precinct no. 41 of Shuakhevi, the procedures of casting of lots were conducted simultaneously (to determine commission members to accompany the mobile box, as well as to distribute other functions). At the same precinct, the commission members who were supposed to accompany the mobile box refused to perform their function (a complaint has been filed);
• At precinct no. 85 of Marneuli, the commission members wrote the functions on pieces of paper of different colors at the time of casting of lots and conducted the procedure in this way.

In addition, the GYLA’s observers have detected incidents of violation of the rules of photo and video filming and unlawful processing of voters’ data (precincts no. 17 of Chkhorotsku, no. 24 of Zugdidi and no. 35 of Batumi). In particular, representatives of the Newpost media outlet took photos of voters from up close, in violation of the existing rules. At the same time, according to the information at our disposal, the photo filming is conducted by means of a special program that scans the voter’s face, which is a violation of the requirements of the Law on Personal Data Protection.

As of now, the GYLA’s observers have written more than 10 complaints and remarks regarding the aforementioned violations.     

The GYLA’s Observation Mission on the polling day  

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association will deploy more than 700 observers to district and precinct election commissions across the country at the time of the elections of the Parliament of Georgia of October 31, 2020.   

The GYLA will pay a particular attention to the observance of electoral procedures (the process of opening of electoral precincts, voting, and summarization of voting results) as well as monitor the developments unfolding in areas adjacent to polling stations. In connection with the revealed violations, the organization will also use the mechanism of strategic litigation in district election commissions and courts.  

On Election Day, the GYLA will operate a hotline number for journalists and media organizations. By calling at the hotline, journalists and media organizations will be able to receive information they are interested in and legal consultation regarding electoral procedures, violations on the polling day, and ways of responding to them.

The hotline number is 577 36 15 20.

The GYLA will hold four press conferences regarding the process of Election Day observation at the NGO Media Center during the day. The press conferences will be held at 10 AM, 2 PM, 6 PM, and 9 PM. On November 1, the GYLA will evaluate the Election Day and hold a press conference at 12:30 PM.

The GYLA’s monitoring mission of the polling day of the parliamentary elections was made possible with the funding of the embassies of Norway and Great Britain, the EU Delegation to Georgia, and the Open Society Georgia Foundation. The opinions expressed in the statement are those of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and its content may not express the views of the donor organizations.