Three Special Precincts in Gori DEC # 32

Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

Three special precincts will work in the Gori DEC 32 for the Presidential Elections, which will function in the military basis. Namely, two special precincts will be opened in the fifth infantry brigade in Gori; another polling station will be opened in Uplistsikhe military base too.

Unlike previous elections, special precinct will not function in Gori military hospital because neither Defense Minister nor the hospital administration had applied to the CEC regarding the issue. Special polling station will not be opened in the Gori Military Academy either. Last year, during parliamentary elections, six special PSs worked in Gori. Chairman of the Gori DEC # 34 Malkhaz Miruashvili said the military servants will vote in their residential districts and number of special PSs was reduced due to this fact. 

Reduction of special PSs in the defense system shows that government is not going to declare high alert in the army and military servants will not have to vote in the military basis that happened during all previous elections in the country.

Representatives of the nongovernmental organizations working on election issues speak that votes of military servants always were used by the government and soldiers’ right to free elections was restricted. Expert Nina Khatiskatsi said government always used the votes of law enforcement officers where they lost elections; she mentioned an example of a special PS functioning in Svaneti on the last Parliamentary Elections, where soldiers were taken on purpose. 

Defense Minister Irakli Alasania publicly promised that nobody will compel soldiers to vote for the presidential candidate of the ruling party.