Georgia’s election fraud evidence at risk, claims opposition leader
Gakharia claims voting evidence jeopardized
“Georgia’s Prosecutor General confiscated all voting equipment used in the October 26 parliamentary elections. Now, even the Central Election Commission no longer has access to voter data, and the most crucial evidence of election fraud could be destroyed,” stated Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition party For Georgia, on November 14.
The party is one of four opposition groups that gained seats in the new parliament, all of whom claim the elections were rigged and are calling for a thorough investigation into violations.
One of the main demands of the opposition and civil organizations was to make the voter list publicly available. The personal data law requires the Central Election Commission (CEC) to disclose these details due to significant public interest.
Gakharia highlighted that the Prosecutor General’s office confiscated the equipment right after this demand was raised, claiming it was necessary for the investigation into allegations of fraud.
On November 6, Gakharia — For Georgia claimed that the court denied their request to urgently secure the data on CEC servers and voting machines. In this appeal, the party warned that data could be lost as the prosecutor’s office was attempting to seize the equipment.
What Giorgi Gakharia said
“No one has recognized the Georgian elections as democratic and free. The legitimacy of the elections is in question.”.
International monitoring missions and Georgia’s foreign partners have stated that the authorities must conduct a thorough investigation into violations to resolve the legitimacy of these elections.
Therefore, we approached the CEC to publish the list of voters who participated in the elections, indicating the polling stations where they voted.
The CEC did not respond. We then turned to the court to request that the CEC protect the equipment storing this information.
Unfortunately, CEC representatives testified in court that the prosecutor’s office had already seized the equipment as part of an ongoing investigation.
As it stands, the main data that could prove whether the elections were fair and untainted is no longer available.
It would have been simple — release the data from these machines for public examination. Instead, the ruling party simply seized the equipment through the prosecutor’s office under the pretext of a so-called investigation.”
Following the October 26 parliamentary elections, Georgia found itself in a new reality.
The ruling Georgian Dream party secured nearly 54 percent of the votes, almost 12 percent more than exit polls had predicted.
Thousands of violations and systematic falsifications reported by observers and experts have cast doubt on the election results, both domestically and internationally.
The international community has not recognized the elections and questions their legitimacy. The only European leader to acknowledge the elections in Georgia as legitimate is Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski reported that due to the government’s undemocratic course, EU leaders decided to halt Georgia’s EU accession process. Strong statements have also been made by the United States.
Gakharia claims voting evidence jeopardized
