The election process was mostly calm, however, significant violations and other important tendencies were revealed: alleged falsification, vote bribery and signs of threatening; there were separate cases of violation of the essential principle of the elections – vote secrecy and the facts of control over voters’ will. At the same time, in separate precincs, interference in the rights of GYLA observers took place.
Significant violations
1. Alleged facts of falsification and attempts of repeated voting
- Precinct #49 of Marneuli district – alleged fact of falsiification;
- Precinct #11 of Tsalenjikha and #7 of Ozurgeti districts – atempts of repeated voting;
- Precincts #48, #13 and #11 of Marneuli district – inking was not checked prior to voting.
2. Alleged facts of vote bribery
According to GYLA observer, there were two facts of alleged vote bribery at the adjacent territory of the precinct #15 of the Khobi district. According to GYLA observer, in both cases the money was provided by the same person.
3. Alleged facts of threatening
Outside the precinct #21 of the Zugdidi district, two drunk individuals in the yard were threatening to physically assault the precinct member from the United National Movement. The chairperson has called the police and the situation was resolved.
4. Violation of the vote secrecy
- On various precincts, a number of facts of violation of vote secrecy was revealed (Akhalkalaki precinct #1 – two facts; Akhmeta #4 – one fact; Akhmeta #12 – two facts; Gurjaani #19 – two facts; Tsalenjikha #15 – one fact; Zugdidi #53 – two facts. The voters leaving the voter booths were holding the ballots in the unfolded way, showing their choice to observers and/or commission members;
- In precinct #4 of Akhalkalaki district, two voters photographed inside the voting booth.
5. Alleged facts of control over voters’ will and voter mobilization
- The tendency of control over voters’ will at the adjacent territory to the polling stations still continues, when voters visiting the polling station were counted/mobilized. This type of violations was revealed at the precincts #79, #80, #81 of Gldani district, #37, #38, #40 of Nadzaladevi district, #7, #9, #32, #34, #39 and #40 of the Samgori district, #3 of Krtsanisi district, #15 of Tsalenjikha district, #73 and #106 of Zugdidi district and #49 of the Dusheti district;
- The facts of mobilizing voters through transport continued in separate precincts of the Dusheti district, also at the precincts #14 and #15 of Khobi district. At the same time, voter mobilization was revealed at the precinct #15 of the Khobi district – in the nearby residential house.
6. Interference in the work of observers
- In the precinct #20 of Akhalkalaki district, GYLA observer has informed of allegedly drunk commission members (commission chairperson, secretary and one of the registrars). After GYLA pointed out the violation, commission members have expressed agression and started interference in the observer’s work – specifically, they did not let the observer register the complaint;
- At the precinct #65 of Marneuli district, the queue regulating commission member from the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia was arbitrarily allocating his duties to other members of the commission. GYLA observer has submitted the complanit on the fact and made video footage, after which the observer of the “Green Earth” took away the phone of GYLA observer and erased the video photage;
- In the precincts #1 and #15 of Gurjaani district, GYLA observers were driven out of the polling station and not given the possibility to perform their observation duty;
- In the precinct #49 of Marneuli district, the commission member from the Georgian Dream – Eldar Gajiev, attempted physical assault against GYLA observer;
- In Isani precinct #62, the precinct election commission chairperson did not give the possibility to GYLA observer to perform their observation function, did not provide them logbook and has limited the possibility to perform observation freely. In addition, he refused to review the complaint;
- Despite the CEC warning towards the district election commissions, GYLA observers were requested to provide the new observer registrations and were not allowed to enter the polling stations otherwise – this happened at the precinct #11 of Krtsanisi; #2, #12, #16, #63 of Akhalkalaki; #6 of Akhmeta and #73 of Batumi districts. Later on, following the communication between the CEC and the district election commission, the problem was resolved.
Creation of the list of the mobile ballot box
- The mobile ballot box list – in various precincts, the number of voters registered in the mobile ballot box was exceeding 3% of voters registered in the whole precinct. There are the decisions of the district election commission on this issue, justification of which GYLA will examine later. Those facts were revealed at the following precincts: on 11 out of 50 existing precincts in Dusheti district, in precincts #41 and #43 of Batumi district and #42 of Kobuleti district.
Violation of the principle of neutral observation
On the Election Day, various local observer organizations were present, their separate observers violating the principle of neutral observation:
- Control over voters’ will – voter has shown the ballot to the observer organization “Advocates’ and Lawyers’ Observatory” (Akhmeta #4 precinct); precinct #19 of Gurjaani district – two voters have shown the ballot to the observer of the “Union 21st Century”. In the precinct #65 of Marneuli district – the unauthorized person – observer from the “Green Earth” has followed the voter into the voting booth;
- Voter mobilization to the polling station – at the precinct #43 of the Gardabani district, the observer of the organization “Advocates’ and Lawyers’ Observatory” – Jaba Abramishvili was involved in the process of voter mobilization;
- Registration of unauthorized person as an observer of an observation organization - the Parliament Member from the Georgian Dream – Shota Khabareli was present at the precinct #86 of the Samgori district. Khabareli had the observer registration under the organization “Advocates’ and Lawyers’ International Observatory”. This is the violation of the election legislation. According to the Election Code, the state-political official (as defined under the Law on Public Service) cannot be an observer. GYLA addressed CEC requesting the annulment of the Shota Khabareli observer status.
By now, GYLA observers submitted total 60 complaints, of those – 31 at the precinct level and 29 – at the district level. In addition, GYLA made 30 remarks in electoral logbooks.
GYLA Observation Mission on the Election Day
On November 28/2018, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) is observing the Second Round of Presidential Elections in Tbilisi and 9 regions of Georgia – Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Guria, Imereti and Adjara (through 300 observers).
Static observers are deployed throughout Georgia in 170 polling stations. Furthermore, through 57 mobile groups and 46 district observers, we are observing problematic polling stations and their adjacent territory in 28 electoral districts.
Based on GYLA’s observation experience, we will pay special attention to the following:
- Polling stations, revealed to be problematic during the previous elections (those polling stations were identified through GYLA’s observation during the previous elections);
- The districts, where ethnic minorities and Internally Displaced Persons are densely settled;
- The developments around the polling stations and the actions of law-enforcements (enforcement of the decree of the Minister of Internal Affairs);
- Inclusiveness of the electoral environment – among others, towards persons with disability, ethnic minorities, and realization of their political-electoral rights. GYLA also prioritizes the research of women’s electoral engagement.
On the Election Day, GYLA will operate a special hotline (032 2 18 26 30), through which citizens will have possibility to receive consultations regarding the voting procedures. GYLA will also consult journalists and media organizations on electoral procedures, Election Day violations and methods to respond to them – they will have a possibility to inform us of the violations they reveal on the Election Day.
On the Election Day, GYLA’s electoral-analytical database will gather information in real time and analyze it – through the information, uploaded by observers and analysts throughout entire Georgia.
On November 29, GYLA will hold the Election Day evaluation Press Conference at 12:00 in the NGO Media Center (address - Shalva Dadiani #2/1).
The observation mission for the presidential elections was made possible through the financial support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), US Agency for International Development (USAID), Norwegian Embassy in Baku, British Embassy in Tbilisi, National Democratic Institute (NDI), and Open Society Georgia Foundations (OSGF). The opinions expressed in this statement belong to GYLA and might not reflect the views of the donor organizations.
