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Violations Discovered by “the Coalition for Democracy” but Overlooked by International Observers

January 10, 2008
Final results of the January 5 Presidential Elections have not been published yet however the situation has become extremely tense in the country. On January 6, International organizations congratulated Georgian people with the democratically held elections. Several Georgian NGOs also joined the congratulations.

“Coalition for Democracy” speaks about the violations during the elections. Members of the NGOs within the coalition, left the meeting with the representatives of the OSCE, European Parliament and Council of Europe in protest. Coalition members claimed they had several reasons for their protest: TV companies did not let them ask question. They think that the reports of the international observers does not coincide with the reality. Coalition has made similar conclusion based on their own monitoring on the polling process. They had observers throughout Georgia and received information through hot-line from voters. The Coalition for Democracy  has recorded many facts of violation.

Morning of the Election Day

Observers from the Human Rights Center, one of the member NGOs of the Coalition, monitored the elections in seven regions of Georgia: Samegrelo, Adjara, Shida Kartli, Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Pankisi Gorge. Ucha Nanuashvili, the executive director of the center reported that on the Election Day most voters were against the government. It could be easily felt almost at every polling station. Thus, the results published by the CEC according to which the leading party is the winner, is rather fantasy than a reality.

Koba Bochorishvili, the head of the “Center for Constitutional Rights”, reported that the first calls were complaints about policemen’s mobilization at polling stations. As a rule, the chairperson of the commission provided the following explanation: “The policemen are protecting the video-camera installed in the polling station.”

Soso Papuashvili, coordinator of the Election Day from the Human Rights Center, speaks about the violations observed by their monitors.

“The election process started with violations. Unauthorized people were in several polling stations in Kakheti region. They were suppressing the voters and commission members. They indicated people to circle number 5 and accompanied the voters into the booths. The chairperson and secretary of the commission also participated in similar illegal acts.

One polling station in Tbilisi was located next to the headquarter of the National Movement. And commission members and observers often visited the neighboring office and consulted with officials there.

Representatives from the Constitutional Security Department and Special Operative Department broke into the precinct and made the opposition representatives to leave the area. Several observers were not allowed into the polling stations without any explanations.

One of the observers reported in the morning that nearly fifty mini-buses were mobilized in Didi Dighomi district in Tbilisi. The drivers were paid one hundred lari and were given fuel.”

 Was There not “Carousel” on the Election Day? 

Generally, carousels are famous during almost every elections held in Georgia. Consequently neither the last one was the exception.

This year the number of voters has decreased at each polling station; thus people had short way to go to precincts. They did not need transport to get to the polling stations. Anyway the government was too “attentive” to its population and offered transportation service to them.

Lasha Chkhartishvili, the board member of the NGO “Egalitarian Institute”, thinks that transportation of the Georgian citizens by mini-buses had different reason.

“Egalitarian Institute and studio “Reporter” were carrying out video-monitoring of the election and recorded the violations mostly happening outside the polling station. We were patrolling in Vake-Saburtalo district in Tbilisi. We have not met any precinct which was not surrounded by mini-buses. Drivers explained that they were transporting voters. If it was not right, drivers would not have had such a blatant reaction at our meeting. They either got excited or drove away in cars. We have recorded them by video. Some of them said they were transporting old and retired people; some of them admitted they were hired.”

Lasha Chkhartishvili mentioned cases when IDPs were offered taxi-service for political reasons-they would be taken to precincts if they voted for National Movement’s candidate.

“Besides carousels we discovered non-existing residential buildings on the lists.”

Election Process at the Polling Station

The two attributes-marking liquid and apparatus to check the marked voters were too prideful for this election like it was for previous two. However, the problem was how they worked on the Election Day.

Soso Papuashvili reported that the marking apparatus did not work at the precincts. “We can say that in Kakheti region voters were not marked after midday. There were cases when people arrived at the polling stations without IDs.”

However, observers from the Coalition for Democracy reported that it is not complete list of violations they have observed at the polling stations.

Soso Papuashvili: “In the regions electricity supply was cut off during counting the votes at the polling stations. Unidentified people took advantage of the delay and put extra ballot papers on the table and mixed them up with other ballot papers.”

Koba Bochorishvili stated that Foti was not supplied with electricity. He thinks the delay aimed at disabling video-cameras in the polling stations. “National Movement members were standing behind each registrars in Foti precincts. They were remembering every voter. There were cases when the registration data of the voter did not coincide with the real data but the chairperson allowed them to vote.”

Giorgi Kharabadze, member of the Egalitarian Institute witnessed how nearly one thousand ballot papers filled in by soldiers were brought into the precinct located in the Public School # 47 and they were mixed up with other ballot papers. “Polling boxes were opened in the military basis and the ballot papers which did not have number five circled were torn and filled in again. Afterwards the soldiers were taken to other precincts.’

So, how international observers overlooked similar violations in their reports. Zakaria Kutsnashvili, the head of the NGO “Law for People”, reported that similar situation has simple explanation: “International observers do not know the methods Georgian governments use to flaw elections. Thus their activities were less sufficient.”

Coalition for Democracy intends to appeal to the court; they have already brought several suits to the court.

Nona Suvariani, Tbilisi

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