Georgian Election Commission calls President’s allegations about election fraud “baseless, politically motivated”

The Central Election Commission of Georgia on Tuesday responded to the allegations made by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili regarding the October 26 parliamentary elections, noting that “statements that the elections were rigged and did not take place are absolutely baseless and represent a politically motivated disregard for the factual circumstances”.

In a statement, the election administration noted that “these allegations appear to continue a disinformation and manipulation campaign driven by specific political interests”.

“We emphasise once again that there are no confirmed facts and evidence that there were any violations during the parliamentary elections that could have had a significant impact on the final results of these elections. Nevertheless, the President of Georgia, unfortunately, repeats the narrative full of propaganda of some interested representatives and thereby attempts to discredit the elections and, consequently, the election administration at the local and international levels, thereby contributing to even greater tension in an already polarized environment”, the statement said.

The Central Election Commission further emphasised that while the electoral process had faced “certain remarks, shortcomings, or concerns”, the election administration had conducted the October 26 elections at a high professional standard, in full compliance with the law, “which, at least, is confirmed in the recently published assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission”.

“We also expressed our full readiness, within the scope of our competence, to consider and, to the extent possible, take into account all recommendations made to ensure the improvement of the electoral process. We are absolutely certain that now is the time to initiate such a process and discuss it in a calm environment between the parties involved, rather than trying to bring even more tension”, the Commission continued.

“We would also like to remind the public that after the announcement of the results of the October 26 elections, based on the widespread statements regarding "possible fraud", the election administration itself addressed the authorised agency and requested the initiation of an investigation to objectively assess the widespread claims. As far as is known from publicly available information, no one has yet presented any substantial or concrete evidence of the allegations made”, the statement noted.

The Election Commission “once again” called on the President and all interested parties making such allegations to provide “relevant, substantiated” evidence or refrain from spreading “unsubstantiated and unfounded and misleading” statements that undermine public trust in the election process.

“The election administration remains a firm defender of the standard of transparency and accountability. Any disinformation will be followed by a factual and comprehensive response to ensure the public is accurately informed about the integrity of the election process. We call on all interested parties to act responsibly and contribute to strengthening, not undermining, trust in Georgia's democratic institutions”, the election administration concluded.