Rovshan Iskandarov, the deputy chairman of the Marneuli City Council and a member of Georgian Dream, was arrested on the charge of election falsification after casting ballots at the 69th polling station on the day of the parliamentary elections. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one additional person has also been detained.
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"The investigation established that during the parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 26, 2024, at election precinct No. 69 in the village of Sadakhlo, Marneuli municipality, the defendants placed ballot papers in the box in violation of the law. As a result of the investigative activities conducted, the lawyers R.I. and I.E. were arrested as accused," stated the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The case is being investigated under Article 164 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the intentional falsification of election-related documents - such as electoral lists, minutes, ballots, registration journals, and control sheets. The crime is punishable by up to 2 years of imprisonment.
On October 26, the day of the parliamentary elections, a video captured by an observer in the 69th precinct of Marneuli circulated on social media, showing Rovshan Iskandarov stuffing ballots into the box. The video also shows another man assisting him in this illegal act. Rovshan Iskandarov was present at the site as a representative of the Georgian Dream.
Due to the incident, the results from the 69th election precinct were declared invalid. Unity - National Movement stated that the opposition won the elections by a significant margin in this precinct, which had 1643 voters on the unified list.
The executive secretary of the ruling party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, referred to the ballot stuffing as a "staged spectacle" and a "provocation." He did not exclude any allegations that Iskandarov had been bribed by the opposition. The defendant himself described his actions as a "provocation by the opposition" and asserted that his goal was not to falsify the elections.
