The Chairperson of the Unity – National Movement opposition party, Tina Bokuchava, on Wednesday alleged the Georgian Central Election Commission had tampered with election markers to compromise the integrity of Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections.
Bokuchava claimed the branded markers supplied by the electronic technology firm Smartmatic were illicitly replaced with unbranded markers on the eve of the election, leading to concerns over privacy breaches.
The MP made the claims while speaking to the media at Tbilisi City Court, where her party is seeking to annul the election results.
Bokuchava argued the unbranded markers left identifiable traces that undermined voters’ privacy, thereby breaching the principles of secrecy, free will, and universality.
“We demand the invalidation of all district commission summary documents, and, therefore, the entire October 26 election result,” she said, further asserting that the CEC’s actions “violated contractual terms with Smartmatic and compromised the election’s legality”.
The National Movement, alongside the Strong Georgia coalition and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), has jointly filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the election outcome, accusing the CEC of facilitating “hijacked elections” that “threaten Georgia’s European aspirations”.
The lawsuits are being heard as the ruling Georgian Dream, according to the CEC’s preliminary data, is set to retain power for a fourth consecutive term. Notably, 90 percent of ballots were cast electronically in these elections, and opposition parties, as well as Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, have alleged “widespread election fraud”, urging a new vote.
Western allies of Georgia have echoed calls for a “thorough investigation”.
Meanwhile, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an inquiry into potential electoral fraud, with opposition leaders already questioned and plans underway to interview President Zourabichvili.
