Procedurally, election day was overall well-administered but was marked by a tense environment and widespread intimidation of voters as well as citizen observers, says the final report by OSCE/ODIHR on Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections.
The report states that ODIHR observers noted multiple signs of voter pressure, reports that many voters felt intimidated by surveillance from structures linked to the ruling party and associated individuals, as well as overcrowding at many polling stations.
“In 24% of observations, the secrecy of the vote was potentially compromised due to the way ballots were placed in the ballot box, the improper internal layout of polling stations, and visible markings on the back of the ballots. Additionally, representatives of the ruling party frequently filmed the election process, which could have had an intimidating effect on voters. The counting process revealed procedural shortcomings, including improper handling of unused ballots, failure to announce votes aloud, and inconsistencies in determining ballot validity. The handling of result protocols by precinct election commissions was inconsistent. While preliminary results were promptly published online by the Central Election Commission, key data, such as voter turnout by polling station and the number of invalid votes, were not made available in a user-friendly format,” the report states.
The report provides several recommendations “to bring elections in Georgia closer to OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards necessary for democratic elections.”
“Priority recommendations include preventing voter intimidation, pressure on public servants, vote-buying, and electoral violence; conducting a comprehensive review of the legal framework to align it with international standards; revising the process for appointing election commission members to prevent domination by any single political party and to ensure full efficiency; developing clear regulations for the oversight of political financing; introducing measures to guarantee the independence of the media regulatory body; ensuring effectiveness and transparency in resolving electoral disputes; enabling citizen observers to work without pressure or intimidation; and guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote through procedural safeguards. ODIHR remains ready to assist in addressing post-election concerns and improving future elections, which should include addressing recommendations from this and previous reports, including a comprehensive review of electoral legislation,” the report concludes.
