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In accordance with the assessment of Human Rights Center, violent incidents and violations, which were observed by HRC monitors in some polling stations during the polling process or were reported by various public sources, influenced the polling process during the October 26, 2024 Parliamentary Elections. 

Human Rights Center believes the government and ruling party Georgian Dream is fully responsible for the violent incidents and violations in the polling stations, whose representatives were initiators or active participants of provocative, unlawful and violent actions. 

At the same time, Human Rights Center evaluates the violations observed on the Election Day together with the violations and alarming tendencies of the pre-election period. Namely, during the pre-election period, the facts of misuse of administrative and financial resources by the ruling party Georgian Dream, discrediting the opposition political parties and increased polarization, hostile environment created against media, nongovernmental and election observation organizations significantly influence the election process, including the Election Day. 

Election monitoring mission of Human Rights Center 

Human Rights Center (HRC) monitored the October 26, 2024 Parliamentary Elections in the regions of Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli and Shida Kartli. The HRC’s monitors will be deployed in the villages with ethnic minority population in Sagarejo, Gardabani and Marneuli municipalities and in the conflict-affected villages alongside the ABL in Gori municipality. Throughout the day, the head office of Human Rights Center received updated information from the observers deployed in the following areas: villages of Sagarejo municipality – Muganlo, Lambalo, Keshalo, Duzagrama; in Marneuli town and in the villages of Marneuli municipality – Kizilajlo and Sabirkendi; in Gardabani town and in the villages of Gardabani – Vakhtangisi, Nazarlo, Kesalo, Agtaklia; in Gori – Chala settlement and in the ABL villages of the municipality – Ditsi and Adzvi. 

HRC monitored the voting process through static observers and mobile groups. Throughout the day, 20 representatives of HRC will observe various stages and procedures of the elections. At this moment, the monitors observe the counting of votes and filling out final protocols after what the lawyers will submit complaints to the District Election Commissions. If the DECs make unjustified and unfair decisions about the complaints of the HRC monitors, the lawyers will appeal the courts. None of the violations will remain without response. 

Human Rights Center observed the October 26 Parliamentary Elections with the financial support of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. On the other hand, the international observers of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee also attend the parliamentary elections in Georgia; they had non-stop communication with the headquarters of the HRC. They monitored the votes counting process in the precincts. Former public defender of Georgia Ucha Nanuashvili, who is member of the HRC monitoring mission, was with the representatives of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and observed election process. . 

Violations and Tendencies 

By 20:00 pm, HRC monitors lodged 11 complaints and made 26 notes in the logbooks. 

In the polling stations of Marneuli and Gardabani municipalities, the HRC monitors observed several facts when voters took photos of bulletins in the election booths that is prohibited by the law. Based on the remarks of the HRC observers, the chairman of the election commission in the polling station in Gardabani asked the voters to delete the illegally taken photos. In the polling stations in Marneuli municipality the HRC observer lodged complaints about this violation. 

In Marneuli, voters were intimidated in the polling station # 12 in DEC # 22. People mobilized in the vicinities of the polling station did not allow a citizen to participate in the elections and prohibited him to enter the precinct. 

Polling stations # 36, 37 and 38 in the village of Lambalo in Sagarejo municipality are opened in different sites of the public school. Mobilization of the members of the Georgian Dream was observed in the yard of the public school. In most cases, they already had the ID cards of the voters, brought them by cars, talked with them outside the precinct, and then returned ID cards and allowed them to enter the polling station. 

The main tendency, like during previous elections, was gathering of coordinators and agitators of political parties within the 100 meter distance from polling stations and interference in the free will of the voters. 

Other election observation organizations also reported about the unlawful oppression on the will of voters and mobilization of coordinators and agitators of the Georgian Dream near polling stations. In response to that, the executive secretary of the GD Mamuka Mdinaradze said it is legitimate activity because he personally gave similar instructions to their representatives as the executive secretary. 

In Kvemo Kartli region, HRC observers identified several facts of influence on the will of the voters after they entered the booth, when unauthorized people accompanied them in the booth and dictated whom to vote for. 

In the village of Duzagrama in Sagarejo municipality, because the mobile ballot box was damaged, the observer lodged a complaint and requested to annul the ballot papers dropped in the mobile box. 

In accordance with the election code of Georgia, it is prohibited to physically hinder the movement of a voter appearing to the polls in the polling station or within 100 meters from the polling station, further, no gatherings and registration of voters are allowed on the polling day within 100 meters of the polling station.

The HRC monitors observed facts, when two persons entered the election booths together. In some polling stations, some unidentified papers were left in the booths, which were removed by the commission members after the HRC observer noted about it. 

In the village of Kizilajlo, Marneuli municipality, the HRC monitors observed presence of unauthorized people in the precinct, who were expelled from the polling station based on the remark of the HRC monitors. However, in the polling station # 50 in Marneuli DEC # 22, a conflict started by unauthorized people after similar incident. 

Throughout the day on October 26, Human Rights Center proactively disseminated information about the election violations and tendencies observed in various polling stations. After Elections, the HRC will publish the report based on the findings from the election monitoring.