The ‘Georgian Dream’ could soon be over amid alleged electoral fraud

If for the referendum in Moldova a week ago the expat vote was crucial in achieving a “pro-EU” result, the same cannot be said for the elections in Georgia, where two days ago the ruling and pro-Russian “Georgian Dream” party won with 54.8% at the polls, defeating the four opposition parties that crossed the 5% threshold. 

After more than 24 hours since the count, however, the country is likely to face significant unrest, with the President of the Republic, Salomé Zourabichvili, calling on demonstrators to gather in front of Parliament today to protest against elections that “will not be recognized” and are seen as “the result of a special operation by Moscow.” 

Many have discussed hypothetical electoral frauds in the last hour, with organizations such as OSCE and ODHIR claiming that secrecy and the election process were compromised. Intimidation and pressure on voters have also been reported, negatively impacting the transparency of the voting process.

“Reports of pressure on voters, particularly on public sector employees, remained widespread in the campaign. This, coupled with extensive tracking of voters on election day, raised concerns about the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution”. This the words that can be read in the Joint Statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell and the European Commission. 

“We call on the Central Election Commission of Georgia and other relevant authorities to fulfill their duty to swiftly, transparently, and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof. Those irregularities must be clarified and addressed. That is a necessary step to re-building trust in the electoral process – adds the Joint Statement -. The EU looks forward to the final OSCE/ODIHR report and recommendations, which should be implemented as soon as possible”. 

Waiting for the final OSCE and ODHIR report on whether Russian influences actually occurred in the voting process, a European Commission spokeswoman says: “We are monitoring closely to see if there were any violations in the election process. Any irregularities must be clarified.” 

“On the visit of the Prime Minister Viktor Orbàn in Georgia – underlines the spokeswoman – what I can say is that the Prime Minister visit to Tbilisi takes place exclusively in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Georgia. Prime Minister Orban has not received any mandate from the EU Council to visit Tbilisi”.