TI Georgia head: CEC responsible for violation of vote secrecy

The head of Transparency International Georgia, Eka Gigauri, on Monday emphasized the responsibility for the “widespread violation” of the secrecy of the vote “lies with the Central Election Commission (CEC)”. She pointed out that the integrity of the voting process was compromised due to the poor quality of the ballots.

Gigauri stressed the importance of an impartial investigation to ascertain whether the issues were a result of negligence or intentional misconduct.

“The secrecy of the vote, which was violated on a large scale due to the quality of the ballot, was the responsibility of the CEC. Secrecy is a principle guaranteed by the constitution. There are questions about what actions the CEC took upon discovering marks made by a marker on the ballot paper, and what precautions were implemented to ensure confidentiality,” she said.

Gigauri noted that “systemic violations” were observed on election day, reinforcing the need for a thorough inquiry.