Intimidation, threats, voting with others’ IDs, expulsion of observers, ballot stuffing, and a closed polling station – these were the conditions under which the 2024 parliamentary elections were conducted in Marneuli. Along with 28 other districts, Marneuli was one of the contentious locations on the election day. Practically every polling station conducted voting procedures amid confrontations and noise.
“Georgian Dream” party agitators openly urged voters to vote for the ruling party. While covering the elections, we documented instances where two people were simultaneously voting in one booth, which violates electoral law. We recorded such an incident at Marneuli’s 3rd precinct. However, this fact remained without response from the commission chairperson and members. Concurrently, in the adjacent territory of the same precinct, half an hour before the polling station’s closure, an alleged “Dream” coordinator was marking individuals who came to vote in a special list. Maisi.News documented this fact as well.
“Observers are working under psychological pressure and threats. Many of them were forced to leave their precincts based on minutes drawn up by commission members, and voting procedures continued without their supervision,” – stated Eka Kobesashvili, head of the Human Rights Center’s legal service, who was also observing voting procedures as an observer.
Using this method, “My Vote” observer Irakli Chumburidze was forced to leave precinct 69 after recording an alleged fraud incident. The man who stuffed ballots into the box was Rovshan Iskandarov, deputy chairman of the Marneuli City Council. The author of the five-second video who recorded the violation was forcibly expelled from the precinct by ruling team supporters. However, as a result of this incident, elections at precinct 69 were disrupted, and an investigation was launched. Regarding the incident, Chumburidze was summoned for questioning at the Marneuli police station.
Iskandarov himself responded to the incident two days later and published a social media post. He blamed the opposition, claiming they were not allowing “Dream” voters to place ballots in the box – “I couldn’t contain my emotion and, outraged, took the ballots from their hands and placed them in the ballot box. My intention was not to attempt election fraud. This was a well-planned provocation by the opposition” – writes Iskandarov, who later deleted the post.
On October 31, police arrested 2 individuals in connection with ballot stuffing at polling station 69. Due to this incident, by order of the Marneuli District Election Commission, the voting results at polling station №69 were nullified. The crime carries a prison sentence of up to 2 years. An investigation into the incident is ongoing under Article 164/3 of the Criminal Code, which involves deliberate falsification of election-related documents: voter lists, protocols, ballots, registration journals, and control sheets.
Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association observer Giorgi Gotsiridze was also beaten and expelled from the precinct. An investigation is ongoing regarding the incident. Speaking to Maisi.News, Giorgi recalls that he was at Marneuli’s 4th precinct when he noticed voters being admitted without verification, which he protested – “A commission member became outraged at this. He threatened me. He moved toward me to hit me. However, observers present at the precinct intervened and separated us. When leaving the precinct, I had reached the doors when the same commission member punched me in the shoulder. I managed to get outside, where opposition and media were standing, and I told them about what happened. At this time, several men with observer badges came to me, surrounded me, led me toward the stairs, and hit me.” – recalls Giorgi Gotsiridze.
Observers were also expelled from Marneuli’s 7th precinct. Maisi.News arrived at the precinct when half an hour remained until closure. Up to ten men stood at the precinct entrance, observing people entering the precinct. Along with them, four police officers stood at the precinct doors. While at this precinct, we documented two alleged fraud incidents where voters attempted to vote using someone else’s ID. We recorded the fact and urged the commission chairperson to respond. However, without result. A Georgian Dream observer attempted to expel us with shouting and threats. The commission chairperson insisted we had no right to film at the precinct. The police standing at the precinct door did not enter during the commotion. Later, when we left the precinct, we found the police were no longer in the school yard either.
The observer who tried to expel us from the precinct was Marneuli resident Ramaz Karkmazli. As Maisi.News learned, he worked as a specialist at the Marneuli City Hall. Karkmazli was the same observer who interfered with Radio “Marneuli’s” filming crew’s work. During video recording, when the journalist documented an alleged fraud incident, the Georgian Dream observer took her phone and expelled her from the precinct. Regarding the interference with professional activities, the Special Investigative Service questioned Radio “Marneuli” journalist Tiko Davadze.
“On election day, we were covering events throughout Marneuli, entering dozens of precincts where they directly or indirectly interfered with our work. At the 7th precinct, the commission chairperson and observer from ‘Dream’ wouldn’t allow us to take photos or videos. My colleague and I were called agents and provocateurs, they tried to expel us from the precinct, telling us we had no right to film and interfering with our work. Similar incidents occurred at other precincts; our appearance was met with undesirable reactions everywhere. At precinct 74 in Kizilajlo, an observer ‘instructed’ that a journalist should be recording with technical equipment rather than a phone. Georgian Dream agitators stood at precincts with lists in hand, and when we recorded this, they didn’t like it and resorted to verbal abuse. The agitators stood very close to the precinct, calling citizens and directly telling them who to vote for,” – the journalist told Maisi.News.
According to local organizations, the principle of voter secrecy was massively violated on election day, which violates the constitutionally guaranteed electoral right. Due to the violation of voting secrecy, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association is demanding the nullification of results from all precincts where technologies were used (2,263 precincts).
Author: Salome Gogokhia
