ISFED unable to contact a woman ‘to ensure support’ after her allegations of election rigging

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) says that it is unable to contact a commission member in Kutaisi No. 90 precinct election commission, Iza Chirgadze, who stated last week that the ruling Georgian Dream party exercised pressure on her to allow voting of unregistered voters on the election day on October 30. 

 

ISFED says that the woman, who now has her phone switched off, could be a victim of continued pressure from the country’s State Security Service. 

 

“On the night of November 1, Imeda Kldiashvili (opposition candidate for vice-mayor in Kutaisi) stated that the State Security Service of Georgia put pressure on Chirgadze and prohibited her from communicating with the representatives of opposition parties.

 

“As a sign of protest, Kldiashvili blocked the entrance of SSS in Kutaisi with a car. The law enforcement officers forcefully arrested him for violating the code of administrative offenses,” ISFED said. 

 

ISFED stated that the law enforcement agencies are ‘fully responsible’ to ensure a safe and pressure-free environment for Chirgadze and her family. 

 

The organization has called on respective agencies to ‘timely investigate’ the cases of alleged electoral violations.