The Deputy Chairman of the Marneuli City Council, Rovshan Iskandarov, describes the ballot stuffing in the 69th precinct in Marneuli, which led to the precinct's data being declared invalid, as a "provocation by the opposition."
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According to Radio Marneuli, Iskandarov published the following statement regarding the incident on social media:
"I want to clarify and shed light on the events that have developed around me and the campaign of lies. This is slander, as if I were throwing ballots into the ballot box at the polling station in an attempt to falsify the elections! The representatives of the radical opposition are deliberately distorting and disseminating video material taken out of context.
The fact was as follows: when I noticed a crowd at the polling station, I immediately went inside to understand the situation. It turned out that the opposition representatives were violating the election rules with unprecedented audacity. They engaged in agitation and propaganda at the polling station and did not allow the potential voters of Georgian Dream to place their ballots in the ballot box. It was these ballots that they (the opposition representatives) held in their hands, as witnessed by more than one person.
I couldn't contain my emotions and angrily took the ballots from their hands and placed them in the ballot box. Thus, my goal was not an attempt to falsify the elections but rather a well-planned provocation by the opposition," Iskandarov stated.
On October 26, the day of the parliamentary elections, a video taken by an observer in the 69th precinct of Marneuli circulated on social networks, showing Rovshan Iskandarov, the Deputy Chairman of the Marneuli City Council and a member of Georgian Dream, throwing ballots into the box. In the video, another man is also seen assisting him in this illegal act. Rovshan Iskandarov was present as a representative of Georgian Dream.
As a result of the incident, the data from the 69th election precinct was declared invalid. The Unity - National Movement stated that the opposition won the elections by a large margin in the said precinct, where there were 1643 voters on the unified list.
The executive secretary of the ruling party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, labeled the ballot stuffing a "staged spectacle" and a "provocation." He did not exclude that a member of Georgian Dream could be bribed by the opposition.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated an investigation into the incident under Article 1643 of the Criminal Code, which addresses election fraud and carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to two years. Four days have passed, but no one has been held accountable.
