According to our observation mission, at this moment the 2018 Presidential Elections are being held in a largely peaceful environment. A vast majority of the electoral precincts, where our static observers are stationed, have been opened on time.
Our observers have reported up to 70 insignificant and relatively serious violations. We have filed 9 complaints. The following are some of the most serious violations:
Alleged vote buying
Similar to the first round, there is a mobilization of presidential candidate coordinators outside of nearly all precincts. Moreover, our observers have noticed that most of them were standing outside with automobiles and people could be observed getting in and getting out of them on a periodic basis. In four cases, according to our observers, the voters received money in the automobile. These cases were observed in the following precincts:
Refusing observers entry to the precinct
Since the morning, there have been instances of refusing our observers to enter the precincts. The chairpersons stated that the refusals were based on the expiry date of November 20 printed on the badges. Apparently, the chairpersons were not notified of the CEC’s order that postponed the expiration date of the badges. Following the intervention of the DECs, our observers were allowed entry. The problem was observed in the following precincts:
Violation of secrecy of vote
There is an observable trend of violation of secrecy of vote at the precincts. At this time, our observers have witnessed, on 11 different precincts, instances when voters would leave the voting booth and show their open ballot to the commission member, representative of an electoral subject or an observer. These violations have been observed in the following precincts:
Noting down the voters in the precinct
There is an observable trend of the queue moderator revealing the identity of voters to the observers. The moderators are either loudly saying the name and surname of the voter or are whispering it to observers from different organizations. The following instances have been observed at 6 precincts:
Violation of the rules for casting of lots
In the #52 precinct of the Sachkhere #50 district, the chairperson of the commission refused to hold a casting of lots for the commission members.
In the #4 precinct of the Kvareli #16 district, the commission members decided to change their allocated functions. The chairperson did not take any measures against this.
In the #49 precinct of the Marneuli #22 district, the chairperson of the commission did not allow female commission members to take part in the casting of lots because it would have been uncomfortable for women to accompany the mobile ballot box.
About Our Observation Mission
Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) will deploy 350 observers to monitor the second round of the November 28 Presidential Elections. Our static observers will cover 300 precincts throughout the country. In addition, 45 mobile groups will also be involved in election observation.
On election day, TI Georgia will hold two press conferences at 13:00 and 20:30 in order to present preliminary assessments of election day developments. The final assessment will be provided on November 29 at 11:00. Additional statements will be made upon necessity.
Moreover, you can keep track of election day updates through our live blog, available in both English and Georgian. All materials will also be published on our Facebook [1]and Twitter [2]pages.
You can provide us information about violations on election day on our hotline 2 92 14 03.