The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia has reported instances of pressure being on election administration staff. At the briefing on October 12, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili stated:
“Pressure is being exerted on election administration staff. Some administration employees have received telephone messages urging them to refuse participation in organizing the elections, leave their jobs, and make public statements about it.”
According to the CEC Chairman, commission employees received telephone messages from the same number. “In each case, the addressee’s name is indicated, which confirms that the sender of the message possesses personal information about our colleagues and their identities,” Kalandarishvili said.
The CEC reports that several employees received messages with identical content. The Chairman did not specify the nature of the threats. He explained that the commission will protect the interests of its employees and will pursue all legal avenues to do so.
“Our colleagues who are the recipients of these messages continue to work with the election administration team, and such pressure will not hinder the proper functioning of the institution. Unfortunately, there have been similar instances before, where attempts were made to bribe election administration employees or use other forms of threats or influence against them. We do not rule out that the aforementioned incident is also part of the pressure and discreditation campaigns against the administration, which have been purposefully carried out for years, and the public is well aware of this,” Kalandarishvili declared.
The CEC Chairman stated that such incidents “further aggravate the already polarized environment, make it more complex, and damage the integrity of the elections.”
At the briefing, Kalandarishvili urged election administration employees, including those of district and precinct commissions, not to succumb to provocations. He also addressed those individuals/groups sending such messages to commission employees, stating that “damaging the process through such provocations will not be beneficial or productive for any interested party.”
Kalandarishvili said that all international partners will be informed about the incident.
As clarified to Maisi.News by the CEC, they will address investigative authorities regarding the incident.
