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Evaluation of the Second Round of the Georgian Parliamentary Elections

October 30, 2016
 
Today, the observers of Human Rights Center monitored the second round of the Parliamentary Elections in three regions of Georgia. 

The monitors and journalists of the Center were deployed in Kvemo Kartli region - in the villages compactly inhabited with ethnic minorities in Marneuli municipality; in the conflict-affected villages of Shida Kartli and in Khashuri; in Kakheti region – in the villages of Pankisi Gorge and also in the villages of ethnic minorities in Telavi municipality. 

The observers report that the election process was conducted mostly in peaceful and fair environment. The observed violations were mostly procedural and technical character, caused by incompetence of the commission members.  The violations cannot impact the election results.

9 observers and journalists accredited in the polling stations, who were deployed in three regions, filed 4 complaints and made several remarks in the log-book. 

Unlike the first round, low turnout of voters was observed in the polling stations. It can be caused by the fact that the second round is only in single-mandate districts and mostly two political parties opposed each other in it. 

Instead voters, the coordinators and agitators of the Georgian Dream and United National Movement were very active in the vicinities of the polling stations, who recorded people coming into the polling station that indirectly influenced their choice. Similar facts threaten free choice of voters. At the same time, on October 8, agitators, coordinators and supporters of different political parties were observed near many polling stations. Sometimes the coordinators and supporters opposed each other and similar controversies resulted into conflicts. Such conflicts undermine peaceful environment of the election process. 

Kizilajlo village in Marneuli municipality is under particular attention of observers and media because of the failed election process in the precinct # 48 of the same village in the first round of the Parliamentary Elections. 

In the same polling station several dozen voters, who were already marked, tried to enter the precinct again. Majority of them were sent back but two marked voters managed to repeatedly vote – HRIDC observer filed a complaint on the violation.

Noise in the Kizilajlo village polling station # 50

The tense situation was observed in the polling station # 50 in Kizilajlo village, Marneuli municipality since morning. At 13:00 the situation became so tense that the PEC chairperson called police; the precinct was closed for few minutes.

As the HRIDC observer reported, the noise and controversy in the polling station started after one of the observers moved the curtain of the election booth and started shouting that 41 was written inside the booth. Other observers also confirmed the fact that is illegal agitation in favor of the ruling party Georgian Dream. However, the PEC chairperson claimed it was provocation and the observer himself wrote the 41. 

The dispute between the observer and commission members turned into controversy and they attracted attention of the journalists standing near the precinct. However, a commission member and one of the observers standing in the door did not allow the journalists and cameras inside the precinct. As later the commission chairperson clarified, if they had allowed all journalists into the room together, it could hinder the ballot process; for that reason, the commission members limited number of journalists inside the polling station.

The commission chairperson called police for help. The police officers deployed at the entrance and acted according to the instructions of the PEC chairman. 

The observer, whose remark caused dispute in the polling station, left the precinct soon. Nobody knows which political party or observation organization he represented. 

Small and unadapted polling stations 

Observers of Human Rights Center report that several polling stations are opened in small rooms that hinders the election process.

Precinct # 39 in Karajala village, Telavi municipality is so small that observers cannot properly monitor the process. Besides that, the polling station has two doors because it is impossible to use only one door for incoming and outgoing voters.

Similar technical problem was observed in the precinct # 5 in Duisi village, Akhmeta municipality. 

Another problem is unadapted polling stations for wheelusers. A person with disabilities could not enter the precinct # 50 in Kizilajlo village, Marneuli municipality by his wheelchair. He managed to enter the polling station with the help of several persons.

MP Visited Polling Stations without ID 

In Shida Kartli region, Georgian Dream’s observer tried to enter the precinct without ID card in the Zemo Nikozi village polling station. The commission members did not allow him to enter that iritated the observer. He said he was MP Tamaz Shioshvili and observed election process in 7 districts but nobody requested him to produce the ID because everybody knows him.

Having produced the ID card, the observer was allowed into the polling station.

Tamaz Shioshvili was the member of the previous parliament from the Free Democrats.

*** 
 
Human Rights Center will include the information about the violations observed during the parliamentary elections in the report, which will be produced in Georgian and English languages. The report will be sent to local and international organizations and media. Video-studio of Human Rights Center HRIDC.TV will produce a documentary film about the 2016 Parliamentary Elections.

Human Rights Center is monitoring the parliamentary elections in partnership with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Open Society Georgia Foundation. 

Human Rights Center 

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