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Alliance Sues “Thieves of Votes” at the Prosecutor’s Office in Kutaisi

June 11, 2010
Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi 

Former single mandate candidate of the Alliance for Georgia Nato Katamadze appeals to the Kutaisi prosecutor’s office and requests criminal investigation on the violations. Katamadze requests to investigate the violation incidents observed during the municipal elections of 2010 and to punish the offenders – so-called thieves of votes. 

Nato Katamadze clarified that Kutaisi District Election Commission # 59 did not react on the violations and thus supported the fabrication of election results in Kutaisi.

“We observed a lot of violations during the elections. We exposed several people participating in the election carousel. The coordinators of the National Movement and chairpersons of the election commissions and ordinary citizens took part in the fabrication. I do not say anything about the high-ranking officials of the City Hall who used their holidays quite fruitfully,” said Nato Katamadze.

The former single mandate candidate of the Alliance for Georgia appeals to the prosecutor Kakha Kochivari and names specific offenders in her suit; she also describes specific incidents of violation.

Incident # 1

“Kh.M. resident of Chavchavadze Str. # 27 in Kutaisi tried to vote for the second time. He had already voted at the polling station # 29 where he returned in the evening. The commission member from the Republic Party discovered the violation and recognized the person who had already visited the precinct. The regulator of the people’s flow allowed the marked people into the polling station without problems.”

Incident # 2

“T. P. resident of the Davitashvili Str. # 13 in Kutaisi was already marked when he arrived at the precinct # 13. Of course, he had right to vote only at that particular polling station but he had already voted somewhere else.”

 Incident # 3

“N. Z. resident of Sulkhan-Saba Str. # 19-79 in Kutaisi tried to vote at the polling station # 28 instead of a person who is in Italy. N. Z. claimed that the coordinator of the National Movement had given her the voter’s and told him to come to the precinct.”

“Here we see the crime committed by the voter, coordinator of the National Movement and the chairwoman of the polling station # 28 Lela Basiladze. She had given him the voter’s card of the person living abroad. These were polling station # 13 and 91 where the coordinators of the ruling party gave the cards on the Election Day at the precincts. However, these incidents were not registered because the voters ran away,” said Katamadze.

The list of violators is too long and only voters are not on the list. Katamadze said that if the prosecutor’s office investigates the incident impartially, the number of offenders will increase and besides the ordinary voters who sold their votes for 5-10 GEL, famous fabricators will also be exposed.

Kutaisi DEC # 59 states that the accusations of Katamadze are not serious. According to their resolution, the DEC did not discuss the complaint of Katamadze at all.

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