The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has begun examining complaints related to Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections, though the annulment of election results is not being sought in the complaint submitted by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA).
The information was announced by GYLA representative Tamar Oniani at a briefing.
Oniani claimed that GYLA’s complaint argues that the inadequate fulfilment of obligations by election administration bodies during the 2024 elections resulted in widespread violations of the fundamental principle of ballot secrecy, particularly at polling stations where electronic voting technologies were used.
The Strasbourg Court has indicated that the case may be granted “significant impact” status, meaning it will be treated as a priority and may lead to a broader assessment of ballot secrecy violations, as well as systemic shortcomings in Georgia’s electoral legislation.
In its submission, GYLA also contends that:
The right to resolve electoral disputes through effective legal mechanisms was violated during post-election litigation;
A blanket restriction in Georgian law limiting citizens’ ability to file complaints regarding electoral disputes fails to meet the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The complaint was formally submitted to the ECHR in 2025.
GYLA noted that, as an experienced election monitoring organization, it had filed nationwide complaints with all district election commissions concerning alleged breaches of voting secrecy caused by the improper use of electronic technologies. These complaints sought the annulment of results at 2,263 polling stations where such technologies were used.
Georgian courts rejected these claims in all cases, except one ruling by the Tetritskaro District Court, which was later overturned by the Tbilisi Court of Appeals.
As a result, the ECHR has now asked the Georgian state to clarify:
To what extent the right to free elections was ensured at polling stations using electronic technologies;
Whether the principle of secret ballot was violated on election day due to the way vote-counting technologies functioned.
GYLA also recalled that weeks before the 2024 elections, during training and information sessions organized by the Central Election Commission of Georgia, the organization identified potential risks to ballot secrecy and raised these concerns with the CEC in advance.
In a letter dated September 28, 2024, the CEC responded that the ballot papers used during training sessions were test versions, assuring GYLA that the ballots used on election day would be of different quality, ensuring vote confidentiality.
Oniani claimed that the ECHR has consolidated three separate complaints and is examining the case under:
Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights (right to free elections);
Article 13 (right to an effective remedy).
In addition to ballot secrecy issues, the Court will also assess whether the opening of an insufficient number of polling stations abroad violated citizens’ right to vote.
The Court has set a deadline of May 15, 2026, for the Georgian state to submit its official position.
Responding to questions about reports that some complainants had requested the annulment of election results as an interim measure, Oniani clarified that GYLA did not make such a request.
“Three complaints have been consolidated in this case. One of them was submitted by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. The request for an interim measure was not made by us,” she said, adding that she is unaware of the origin of that specific demand.
She further explained that when the ECHR consolidates complaints, this is not dependent on the wishes of the complainants, and that the Court has the authority to combine similar cases and examine them jointly on the merits.
Image source: Radiomaestro.ge
