Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday called on the non-governmental organization ISFED reveal its parallel counting results from the recent parliamentary elections, alleging the organization was “deliberately concealing critical information”.
His comments, made during a briefing at the Georgian Dream party’s central office, reignited concerns over the integrity of the electoral process amid accusations of “repeat violations” reminiscent of the contentious 2020 elections.
During the briefing, Papuashvili criticized ISFED for delaying the publication of the parallel counting results. He asserted that this postponement “mirrors the events of the 2020 elections, when similar delays occurred”.
“On Sunday, the time of publication was postponed, repeating the scenario of 2020, when results were also delayed,” he said. The Chairman raised doubts about ISFED’s accountability, suggesting that their methodology failed to provide reliable data prior to the OSCE-ODIHR report.
In a late-night statement on Sunday, ISFED claimed its parallel counting results aligned with those of the Central Election Commission (CEC). However, Papuashvili argued that ISFED did not provide comprehensive details, prompting concerns about transparency and public trust. “We demand that ISFED fully publicize the results of the parallel counting,” he asserted.
ISFED’s summary of election day observations indicated that the results of the parliamentary elections might not accurately reflect the will of Georgian voters. While they confirmed that their parallel counting results matched those of the CEC, they emphasized that this data could not serve as a “valid measure” of the electoral process due to “significant violations” observed during both the pre-election period and on election day.
The organization highlighted various issues, including voter intimidation, identity card confiscation, and reports of bribery, which they believe undermined confidence in the elections. Serious violations reported on election day included ballot stuffing, multiple voting, and the expulsion of observers from polling stations.
“Considering the combination of these violations, the results may not reflect the will of the voters,” ISFED stated, confirming that they do not plan to publish detailed results of the parallel counting while continuing to monitor the electoral process.
According to preliminary official results from the October 26 elections, the ruling party, Georgian Dream, secured over 50% of the votes, with four opposition coalitions crossing the 5% threshold. The results are as follows:
Georgian Dream: 53.93%
Coalition for Change: 11.03%
Unity – National Movement: 10.17%
Strong Georgia: 8.81%
Gakharia for Georgia: 7.77%
The opposition parties and President Salome Zourabichvili have rejected the election results, with the President calling on the public to gather at the Parliament on October 28 to demonstrate their discontent and refusal to accept the outcomes.
