Georgian Dream Requests to Annul Registration of Giorgi Gviniashvili

Information Center of Kakheti

Georgian Dream’s majoritarian candidate in Gurjaani Manana Berikashvili sued United National Movement’s majoritarian candidate in Gurjaani at the court for voter-buying and requested to annul his registration.

“On October 5, 2012 at about 2:00 pm, residents of Kardenakhi village Gela Maisuradze, Nugzar Shakiashvili and Giorgi Berikelashvili arrived at the Gurjaani district election office and applied to the head of office Grigol Beradze to help local population who were deceived by the Kakheti regional administration. Namely, during the pre-election campaign, at the end of August, 93 voters from the village, who had loans at various banks, applied to Giorgi Sibashvili, acting Kakheti regional governor, and asked him to assist them to reschedule the bank payment. Giorgi Sibashvili promised them to extend debt-payment period like they had done in case of residents of Gurjaani district victimized by the July 19, 2012 natural disaster. As we all know, Kardenakhi village was not damaged by natural disaster. In exchange of assistance, Sibashvili asked them guarantee that they and their family members would vote for the National Movement and its majoritarian candidate Giorgi Gviniashvili. Besides that, they would have supported the National Movement in the polls and convince other people to vote for them too. Banks did not bother creditors before October 1 and did not request them to pay debt. On October 2, almost every bank notified to the debtors that they had breached the deadline and had to pay fine. Astonished people met Giorgi Gviniashvili who ordered chairman of the municipal board and head of his election office Zakro Iaganashvili to resolve the problem. When Giorgi Gvianiashvili did not resolve their problem, annoyed Kardenakhi residents, who had voted for the National Movement and Giorgi Gviniashvili as a result of vote-buying, came to our office and asked our help. We told them the National Movement had given them illegal promise and we would resolve this problem in accordance to the law,” Manana Berikashvili said.

She said, in accordance to the Article 47 Part I – “a” of the Election Code of Georgia, from the moment of publication of the relevant legal act that announces the elections
until the publication of the final results of the elections, it is prohibited to: Electoral subjects/candidates of becoming electoral subjects and their representatives personally or through other persons to give money, gifts and other material possessions (irrespective of their price), to sell at a preferential price, distribute or disseminate any goods free of charge (except for the agitation material as prescribed by this Law), also to motivate Georgian citizens by promising to give funds, securities and to render other material valuables (regardless of their price).

“In our case, if the debt-payment was postponed for 1 year, citizens will have to pay the percents. Six people were summoned to the court to prove our allegation. With our lawsuit we request to annul registration of the majoritarian candidate Giorgi Gviniashvili,” said Manana Berikashvili.

Acting regional governor Giorgi Sibashvili denies Manana Berikashvili’s accusations. He said thousands of applications were registered in the regional governor’s administration where citizens request to postpone debt-payment because of damage by natural disaster. “Apparently, those people are lying; why did they apply to us if they were not victimized by the natural disaster? I have never requested anybody to vote for any political party in exchange of my assistance,” Giorgi Sibashvili told ICK.

Gurjaani district court will start case discussion at 1:00 pm today.

37 338 voters participated in the elections in Gurjaani election district. Giorgi Gviniashvili won elections with 51, 29 % (18 596 votes) and defeated Georgian Dream’s candidate Manana Berikashvili who had gained only 15 810 votes – 43, 6%. In the proportional polls, UNM received 49, 33% (17 944 votes) and Georgian Dream received 45, 0% (16 378 votes).