Georgia’s election commission chair interviewed by Prosecutor’s Office over alleged election falsification

Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chairman of Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC), appeared for an interview at the General Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday in connection with the ongoing investigation into alleged electoral fraud during the October 26 parliamentary elections.

Speaking to the media, Kalandarishvili defended the election process, stating that no significant evidence had emerged so far to suggest systemic violations that could have affected the outcome.

“Today is the 26th day after the elections, and so far we have not seen any tangible circumstances that would indicate that there were systemic violations in the elections,” Kalandarishvili explained.

He added that multiple court sessions had already been held, and election disputes had been reviewed, confirming that there were no violations of electoral secrecy or other essential irregularities.

The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, was also summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office for an interview. However, she chose to address the public with a video collage of what she claimed were instances of electoral violations. “These are the shots that need neither explanation nor elaboration,” she said, referring to the footage.

She further criticized the investigation process, asserting that the onus was on the investigative bodies to gather evidence, not the President.

“It turns out that the prosecutor’s office is waiting for evidence from me. I knew it was the other way around – the investigative bodies had to collect the evidence themselves,” the President said, pointing out that she had not been approached by the authorities for evidence before.

Zourabichvili also referenced statements from EU officials, suggesting that foreign figures, like Joseph Borrell, may have relevant evidence that could be helpful to the investigation. “I think the prosecutor’s office should ask him for evidence. It seems that he also has evidence,” she added.

The ruling Georgian Dream party has been the only group to recognize the results of the October elections, while the opposition and the President have called the election results into question, alleging widespread falsification. The investigation into the election process continues, with both sides of the political spectrum asserting competing narratives.