A statement about the ongoing electoral processes (14:00 – 22:00) 

According to the information provided by our observers, the following types of irregularities have been revealed during the day:

1. The majority of the polling stations that we covered had received fewer ballot papers and envelopes than the number of citizens in the voters’ list;

2. In many polling stations, the device for checking inking was not functional or the indelible ink was useless (polling station no. 47 of the District of Kobuleti: several polling stations of the District of Poti; several polling stations of the districts of Chokhatauri and Ozurgeti);

3. In many cases, people were not able to vote because other persons had put their signatures in their sections in the voters’ lists (several polling stations of Adjara, specifically, polling stations no. 3, 17, 23, 32, 82, and 16 of Batumi, as well as other polling stations);

4. In many polling stations, stamps were mixed up (in several polling stations of Sachkhere, where the problem was mostly resolved; in polling stations no. 48 and 57 of Chiatura, stamps of other polling stations were used, though, despite a number of directions and complaints on the part of the observers, they were not replaced; in polling station no. 5 of the District of Signagi, the stamps of the secretary and the registrar were mixed up);

5. There were several cases when observers and representatives at the polling stations did not have badges (polling station no. 67 of the District of Gori; polling station no. 102 of the District of Zugdidi);

6. In several dozens of cases, voters cast their votes without an ID card or they were not registered in the polling stations where they cast their votes (polling station no. 19 of the District of Akhalkalaki; polling station no. 9 of the District of Kaspi);

7. At several polling sites, voters took ballot papers out of the polling station. There is doubt that this could have been part of the so-called “Armenian fan”, which is a serious irregularity (polling stations no. 52 and 53 of the District of Saburtalo; polling station no. 16 of the District of Mtatsminda);

8. In many polling stations, PEC members were aggressive towards our observers; in the morning, they were trying to prevent an observer from entering a polling station due to being late, while later they even tried to expel several observers from polling stations (polling station no. 48 in Chiatura; polling station no. 17 of the District of Signagi; polling station no. 49 of the District of Dusheti; polling station no. 94 of the District of Gldani);

9. In several dozens of polling stations, PEC members were unwilling to register complaints written by our observers (polling station no. 48 in Chiatura);

10. In polling station no. 36 of the Khashuri District, after the PEC members threw the ballot papers from the ballot box on the table to count them, a member of the commission, Givi Mchedlidze, added additional ballot papers to those that had been taken from the ballot box;

11. In several districts, employees of the armed forces and the police were mobilized on the areas adjacent to polling stations at the end of the election day. These persons did not enter the polling stations, though they patrolled near the polling sites in Mestia, Batumi, and Signagi;

12. In sum, Transparency International – Georgia has demanded the cancellation of the results of three precincts due to serious irregularities (polling station no. 17 of the District of Batumi; polling station no. 36 of the District of Khashuri; polling station no. 5 of the District of Signagi).

By now, the observers of Transparency International – Georgia have already written 47 complaints.

At this stage, we can say that the population of Georgia has had the opportunity to express its will and take part in the elections. We think that it is crucial to conduct the procedure of counting of votes without irregularities, so that the will of Georgia’s population is reflected in the final results of the elections.