Human Rights Center to Appeal Prosecutor’s Office on the Ground of Faked Elections

Gela Mtivlishvili, Information Center of Kakheti

Human Rights Center, which observed elections on October 1, intends to appeal to the prosecutor’s office against fabrication of election results by Signagi DEC members and personnel.

On October 4, chairman of the Vakiri village Precinct Election Commission Bichiko Jebirashvili and commission members confirmed that final protocol in which National Movement’s majoritarian candidate Levan Bezhashvili is winner was faked. The commission members even named the fabricators.

According to the CEC, National Movement’s majoritarian candidate Levan Bezhashvili won Parliamentary Elections with 48,7% (10 124 votes) while the Georgian Dream’s candidate Gela Gelashvili took only 47,19% of votes (9 811 votes). According to CEC, Bezhashvili gained 313 more votes than Gelashvili.

Georgian Dream argues about the final protocol on the results of majoritarian ballot in Vakiri PS # 5. According to the protocol uploaded on the CEC website, Levan Bezhashvili has 436 votes and Gela Gelashvili has 146 votes. The protocol is dated by 01:25 am of October 1 though it was not signed by five members of the commission.

There is second protocol of the marjotiarian ballot in the Vakiri PS # 5 which was signed by all five members of the commission and was confirmed by seal; according to this protocol Levan Bezhashvili has gained 207 votes and Gela Gelashvili – 377 votes. If votes are counted according to this protocol, Levan Bezhashvili will have 9 895 votes and Gela Gelashvili – 10 042 votes.

Coalition representative Zviad Gogoladze wrote in his complaint filed to the Signagi DEC: “Faked protocol submitted by the Vakiri PEC # 5 is drawn up to show unreal data. More precisely, according to this protocol, 231 votes were taken from majoritarian candidate Gela Gelashvili in favor of the UNM’s majoritarian candidate Levan Bezhashvili. The protocol shall be confirmed by the people present in the PS # 5 during counting of votes on the Election Day. Those people are: representatives of the political parties, observers from the observation organizations, and the commission members.” The author of this complaint requests to annul the protocol uploaded on the CEC website and to count votes according to the protocol they have provided to the CEC.

Signagi DEC discussed the complaint on October 3. The session was carried out in noise. CEC representative interfered in the functions of the commission chairman and was leading the session instead him. In parallel to it, hundreds of people were gathered in front of the commission office. They called upon the commission to pass impartial decision. DEC chairman said the protocol provided by the Georgian Dream’s representative Zviad Gogoladze was document of unidentified origin. Afterwards, representative of the election bloc Bidzina Ivanishvili – Georgian Dream Irina Imerlishvili showed the commission members the same protocol but it had original seal of the commission.

http://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=player_embedded&v=E2cNaV8TUvI

Chairman of the Vakiri PEC Bichiko Jebirashvili made explanation statement at the session. He said Gela Gelashvili had received 377 votes and Levan Bezhashvili received 207 votes in Vakiri village as a result of polls. He added that the protocol submitted to the DEC was faked by the DEC itself. “We conducted the election procedures in accordance to the law. We opened ballot boxes, counted votes. Counters were sitting on the specially allocated place and observers were standing 2 meters away from them as it is required by the law. The votes were counted and they were divided in the following way – UNM gained 207 votes – both proportional and majoritarian and Georgian Dream had gained 377 votes. At the end of the entire procedures I gave copies of the protocol to every commission member and everything was written in them,” Bichiko Jebirashvili said.

http://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=player_embedded&v=I5NhjQMKLqo