On 4 November, opposition politicians and their supporters gathered at various district election commissions (DECs) in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and regions where the election administration was reviewing the election-related appeals.
It was reported that several people were detained, including three United Georgia party members, during the clashes with police at the Saburtalo and Isani DECs. Similar scenarios were reported in Batumi, Bolnisi and Tskaltubo.
Besides the opposition parties, twenty-five local NGOs, including Transparency International Georgia, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, also stated that the Georgian Dream government failed to conduct the parliamentary elections in line with democratic standards. The joint statement emphasised that the elections were ‘less free and democratic’ compared to any other elections conducted under the current state leadership which was affecting the country’s stable development and is damaging for Georgia’s international reputation.
The NGOs said that incidents of verbal and physical abuse took place on the election day and journalists and observers were unable to carry out their duties in several cases. The statement also read that five NGOs recorded more than 500 complaints in different polling stations. They also demanded the recount of votes in the polling stations where there is an imbalance between ballot papers and voters’ signatures on the lists, as well as ‘legal and unbiased discussion of all election complaints.’
The Speaker of Georgia’s Parliament and member of the ruling party Archil Talakvadze said that attacking the election results was first of all in Russia’s interests. “The opposition says if they don’t win the elections, then it is not democratic. Such an approach is absolutely unjustified. Yesterday the public saw a protest rally in front of the Central Election Commission building, during which time citizens were throwing stones at the door in front of the CEC. In any case, the Georgian government will not allow anyone to attack democracy. In Georgia decisions are made by the public only through elections,” he said.
