Gakharia for Georgia opposition seeks court order to safeguard electoral data amid allegations of falsification

The Gakharia for Georgia opposition party on Friday demanded that the Central Election Commission (CEC) safeguard all data stored on its servers and electronic devices. The party also seeks a mandate compelling the CEC to release voting information to the public amid allegations of rigged general elections last week.

At a press conference, Natia Mezvrishvili, the party leader, voiced concerns over alleged tampering of electoral databases.

“We have credible information that CEC server databases are being falsified, and data from electronic devices is being erased”, she asserted. Mezvrishvili also claimed that the CEC had “repeatedly disregarded” their requests for transparency and access to voting information, which she argued is critical for public accountability.
According to Mezvrishvili, the CEC has been withholding crucial details of its contract with Smartmatik – the company managing electronic voting systems. These details, she said, include documents for storing voter lists, timelines for data retention, and data deletion procedures. “At present, the information is supposed to be stored in two locations – on CEC servers and electronic devices”, she explained, noting concerns over data integrity in both.

Each day of delay, Mezvrishvili warned, increases the risk of “destroying vital evidence,” a situation she alleged serves only the interests of the ruling Georgian Dream party. She argued that without judicial intervention, essential evidence for any objective investigation may be compromised, making it harder to uphold the electoral rights of voters.

“Without swift action, the GD will succeed in erasing the evidence needed for transparency”, Mezvrishvili concluded. The court is expected to review the appeal in the coming days.