As of 6 P.M., the GYLA continues to monitor the polling day.
The voting process is mainly taking place in a calm environment, although we have identified the following problems:
Attempt of inked individuals to cast votes
At precinct no. 48 in Marneuli, we have observed an attempt of previously inked individuals to cast votes. However, the chairperson of the commission didn’t allow them to do so. An observer of the observation organization Green Earth demanded that individuals who had already been inked be allowed to cast votes at this precinct.
Problems related to inking
We have observed several problems with inking where the ultraviolet light showed that an individual had already been inked, but citizens explained that it was nail varnish (precincts no. 1, 2, and 7 of Mtatsminda).
Problems related to mobile ballot box
At precinct no. 49.59.65 of Kutaisi, the secretary of the commission had not registered a voter’s application for including him in the mobile voters’ list. The GYLA’s observer wrote a complaint about this fact.
At precinct no. 36.22.03 of Marneuli, the ballot papers for the mobile ballot box didn’t bear the seals and signatures of the registrar. After 15 voters had already cast their votes, the mobile ballot box was again returned to the polling station, and the registrar sealed and signed the ballot papers. On the basis of the GYLA’s complaint, the election commission invalidated the results of mobile voting.
In the polling station of precinct no. 72 in Zugdidi, representatives of Georgian Dream and observation organization Georgian Barristers & Lawyers International Observatory, were recording the names of voters arriving at the polling station, marking the supporters of Georgian Dream in blue, those of the UNM in yellow, and undecided voters in red. They asked the voters whether they had changed their choice. The GYLA lodged a complaint regarding this fact.
At precinct no. 10 of Vake, the mobile ballot box that was brought back to the polling station contained one fewer ballot papers than the number of voters on the mobile voters’ list. Our observer said that the signatures made by the mobile voters were also problematic.
Interference with the activity of an observer
At precinct no. 47 in the village of Kirbali, Gori Municipality, I.T., a voter assigned to this precinct, verbally assaulted the GYLA’s observer, because the observer had protested his attempt to cast a vote using a copy of another voter’s ID card. The observer also encountered problems in exercising her powers several times during the day at this precinct (she was not allowed to make an entry in the logbook and to familiarize herself with other entries).
At this point, the GYLA’s observers have lodged 58 complaints and made 53 remarks in the logbooks in connection with the aforementioned violations.
The GYLA has actively observed the elections of legislative, executive and local government bodies since its founding (in 1994), trying to contribute to the conduct of elections in a quiet and fair environment and to steadfast observance of the Georgian legislation during electoral processes.
On October 30, the GYLA is observing the polling day of the second round of the parliamentary elections in Tbilisi and nine regions with up to 400 observers.
The static observers have been deployed to 300 polling stations across Georgia. Mobile groups are active in 45 majoritarian districts.
On the election day, the GYLA will be operating a special hotline by which citizens will be able to get legal advice regarding the polling procedures. The GYLA will also be operating a hotline for journalists and media organizations. By calling the hotline, journalists and media organizations can get information that is interesting for them and legal consultation about electoral procedures, violations on the polling day, and the response provided, as well as provide us with information about violations they have observed on the polling day.
The hotline number is 223-63-48.
On the election day, the GYLA – through its observers and analysts deployed to all the regions of Georgia – will be entering information into the electoral-analytical database in real time and analyzing it.
To get comprehensive information about violations on the election day, you can visit www.electionsportal.ge where you can write about violations you have observed by filling out an online form or sending a free-of-charge text message to this number: 90039.
During the day, the GYLA is going to hold one more press briefing regarding the observation of the election day at the media center for non-governmental organizations (address: 1 Freedom Square).
The next briefings will be held at 9 P.M., while on October 31, the GYLA will assess the election day and hold a briefing at 12 A.M.
The GYLA’s monitoring mission of the polling day of the parliamentary elections was made possible by the funding of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the Open Society – Georgia foundation, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The opinions expressed in the statement belong to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, and their content may not express the views of the donor organizations.
