Election Procedures Are Going On with Blatant Violations in the Villages Populated by Ethnic Minorities

Aleko Tskitishvili

The executive director of the Human Rights Center Ucha Nanuashvili reported that municipal elections are going on with serious violations in the villages populated with ethnic minorities in Kakheti region.

In the polling station # 46 of the Sagarejo election district # 11 in the village of Iormughanlo under-age Nakhir Gajiev (born on January 17 of 1994) participated in the elections and breached the Election Code; he dropped the ballot paper in the box. Under-age Gajiev was not registered on the voters’ list but despite the fact the PS election commission registered him in the journal.

In the same polling station, two people entered the election booth together. Mostly, the commission members followed the voters into the booths. A commission member, sitting at the ballot box, shouted at the voters before entering the booth “Besh! Besh!”

Commission member of the Kvemo Lambalo polling station # 37 dropped the ballot paper instead other person. The Human Rights Center protested the violation and consequently, the commission member ran away from the PS.

Ucha Nanuashvili personally witnessed a voter to intend to drop 6 ballot papers in the ballot box in the polling station # 47 in Zemo Lambalo village. After the violations were observed and ballot papers were seized the chairman of the PS election commission Asan Abdulaeva tore the ballot papers illegally. In the same PS underage Elkha Kazumov, born on March 8 of 1993, took part in the elections; he was not registered on the voters’ lists but commission members registered him in the journal.

Underage person took part in the elections in the village of Keshalo in PS # 45. The first voter entered the booth without marking.

In the PS # 48 in the village of Chulari the commission members did not accept the complaint of the observer of the Human Rights Center. “I will not accept it! Anyway, I will destroy it!” directly stated the chairman of the PS election commission.

According to the observer of the Human Rights Center, the PS # 21 in the village of Uzuntala in Lagodekhi district was opened with violations. Here, every voter is not marked. The children of 16-17 took part in the elections. There are a lot of people registered in the voters’ list who live abroad. The commission members do not allow the observer to file complaint and do not accept his complaint. The observers of the Human Rights Center intend to request the district election commission to stop election procedures and annul the election results at the PS # 21 in Uzuntala village.

Ucha Nanuashvili reported that Xerox machines do not work in any polling stations of Sagarejo election district # 11, where the observers of the Human Rights Center are deployed; consequently, they cannot make copies of the complaints. The ballot papers are not printed in Azerbaijan language for what ethnic Azeri people cannot read the ballot papers in Georgia. Very often, people are allowed to vote without marking and IDs.

Strange people are often observed in polling stations. The youth organizations associated with the ruling party “Our Generation” and “Batumelebi” are particularly active.