One foreign election observer, granted anonymity to speak candidly with POLITICO, said there had been a brawl in another polling station, close to the country’s border with neighboring Azerbaijan. “We’ve witnessed ballot-stuffing attempts where the perpetrators were discovered, ran away, and then simply waited for observers to leave before trying again,” the observer said. “Given the number of similar accusations from other polling stations, I’m afraid international observers will have a very hard time acknowledging these elections as fair.”
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), a Tbilisi-based NGO, said in a statement that “incidents and violations were recorded throughout the country during the voting process.” One in ten of its election observers reported problems, including allegations of voters being bussed in by Georgian Dream co-ordinators, it said.
At the same time, Georgian Dream accused opposition parties of “violations,” and said police were investigating accusations that an opposition politician “slapped” one of the ruling party’s coordinators outside a polling station.
EU dreams
Georgia was granted candidate status by the EU in December, but has seen its application to join the bloc frozen after passing a slew of Russian-style legislation clamping down on political rights and civil society. In May, Georgian Dream forced through a bill that brands Western-backed NGOs, media outlets and human rights groups as “foreign agents,” and has passed a law effectively outlawing all public references to the LGBTQ+ community, forcing broadcasters to censor content and banning Pride events.
Authorities used tear gas and batons to disperse protests over the move, which critics said echoed tactics used by the Kremlin to stifle dissent in Russia, and organizers were detained and beaten in custody. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Georgian Dream politicians and police officers over the crackdown.
Kobakhidze said in August that his government would move to ban all parliamentary opposition parties, including the UNM, if the party retains power in the critical electoral contest. “I believe that abolishing [parliamentary] mandates will be the logical continuation of outlawing these parties. Criminal members of the criminal political forces shouldn’t exercise the status such as that of a member of Georgia parliament,” he said.
Responding to a question from POLITICO ahead of the vote, the UNM’s Bokuchava said she “wouldn’t entertain the possibility” of the UNM having to dissolve because she didn’t believe Georgian Dream “would ever be given the mandate” to govern the country.
The opposition and experts lay the blame for Georgia’s rapid pivot away from the EU and toward Russia on Ivanishvili, the country’s richest man and the founder of Georgian Dream, who exerts significant personal control over the party, the judiciary and the state.