Mezvrishvili: Elections Conducted with Systematic Violations, Affecting Results

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According to Natia Mezvrishvili, deputy chairman of the Gakharia - For Georgia party, the elections held in Tbilisi and the regions were marked by systematic violations in many districts. These included voting using someone else's ID cards, bribing voters, counting invalid ballots for Georgian Dream, and pre-marking the number 41 on the ballots to ensure they would be canceled if opposition votes were cast.

"In previous days, people's identity cards were confiscated to leave opposition voters without IDs at home, allowing others to use their identity cards to vote at polling stations. We didn't have any proof of this, but today we obtained evidence that confirms individuals actually voted using other people's ID cards.

This revelation is probably not surprising to the public, especially considering that last week we presented a very detailed chart showing how precinct and district commissions were staffed at the central level - completely filled with individuals loyal to the Georgian Dream party. We have specific photos and concrete evidence showing a person with one name and surname holding another person's passport.

Regarding the second systemic violation, which directly impacts the expression of the will of hundreds of voters, there is bribery. We have presented concrete video evidence of how money is distributed by the Georgian Dream party in minibusses. In this regard, we have already submitted an application to the investigative authorities.

The next systemic violation, recently revealed during the recounting of votes, involves invalid ballots. When a voter indicates that they do not choose any party, if this crossed-out line appears in front of Dream with the number 41, such ballots are counted as Dream votes. This occurs in all areas and has a significant impact on the results.

Currently, votes are being counted by candlelight, as the Dream party has brought back the conditions of the 90s due to the scale of falsification, with reports from Kharagauli, Zestaponi, Gonio, Gori, Khobi, and other locations still coming in. Ballots are being counted manually without proper lighting, and the situation is likely clear to everyone.

Throughout the day, our representatives recorded dozens of instances where the Dream party distributed ballots with the number 41 pre-marked inside the circle. As of now, we have filed more than 50 complaints with the CEC, highlighting the large scale of these violations.

What does it mean when a person is given a marked ballot? If that person then marks, for example, 25, the ballot - expressing their will twice - becomes invalid. This appears to be a deliberate attempt to spoil the ballots of the opposition.

From 8 a.m., as soon as the voting process began, another form of carousel voting was observed on a large scale, in addition to the identity card violations. One voter was given two ballots, representing the usual so-called Armenian carousel: one person enters, takes out a ballot, and another enters with it, and so on. We have submitted complaints about all of this. Today, when the chairman of the CEC spoke, he performed the Dream party's duties and stood near the tribune. I sincerely hope there will be a legal response to all these issues," said Natia Mezvrishvili.

According to her, these systemic violations directly impact the elections, raising certain question marks about the results.

The Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, stated that based on the results from 2206 out of 3111 polling stations, Georgian Dream received nearly 53% of the votes, while Coalition for Change received 11.2%, Unity - National Movement 9.83%, Strong Georgia 9.02%, and Gakharia - For Georgia 8.22%.

As per the results of the exit poll conducted by Edison Research on behalf of Formula television company, Georgian Dream received 40.9% of the votes, while the opposition received a total of 51.9%.

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