Ruling party accuses opposition of ‘election manipulation’ amid claims of rigged elections

Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, has alleged that opposition parties engaged in a “systematic manipulation of votes” in the recent general elections amid claims by President Salome Zourabichvili domestic opposition and watchdog organizations of “rigged elections” by the GD administration.

In a press briefing on Friday, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Georgian Dream’s Executive Secretary, claimed the opposition had employed “various tactics” to hinder Georgian Dream supporters from voting, and he accused the domestic watchdog ISFED of “concealing” critical details from its parallel vote tabulation (PVT).

Mdinaradze pointed to specific instances where opposition representatives allegedly transferred Georgian Dream supporters to polling stations in distant locations as their representatives at polling stations to “prevent them from voting”.

The ruling party official also accused opposition-linked mobile voting representatives of skipping procedural steps, such as collecting signatures, when they encountered Georgian Dream supporters.

In addition to these allegations, Mdinaradze expressed concern over ISFED’s delayed release of its PVT findings, suggesting that this withholding of data bears resemblance to alleged issues during the 2020 elections. He noted that while ISFED’s PVT reportedly aligns with official election figures, the watchdog has refrained from sharing full results. “It’s been six days, and ISFED has yet to publish the complete data,” Mdinaradze stated, suggesting the lack of transparency raises questions.