Georgia begins investigation into allegations of election fraud

Georgia has launched an investigation into allegations of voter fraud in last weekend’s parliamentary elections, officials said Wednesday.

The ruling Georgian Dream party, which has strengthened the country’s ties with Russia, declared victory in Saturday’s elections after authorities said it had received about 54 percent of the vote with nearly all ballots counted.

Many Georgians saw the elections as a choice between continuing to support the ruling party and wanting closer integration with European Union (European Union).

Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people located between Russia and Turkey, received EU candidate status in 2022. But that process was halted indefinitely after the Georgian Dream-led parliament passed a “foreign influence law,” similar to laws passed by Russia to suppress dissent.

Claims of election fraud

European observers said Saturday’s election was “divisive” amid intimidation, double voting and physical violence. Meanwhile, Georgian observers reported numerous irregularities, saying the results did not reflect “the will of the Georgian people.”

A crowd of thousands gathered outside parliament on Monday evening to hear opposition speakers, including President Salome Zurabishvili, denounce what they called a stolen election.

On Wednesday, Georgia prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into claims of election fraud. The investigation was requested by the Central Election Commission (CEC), and on Thursday Zurabishvili was summoned for questioning over the allegations. Meanwhile, according to the prosecutor’s office, other persons “who may have information related to the alleged criminal act” will also be questioned.

The CEC said in a statement that ballots from five randomly selected polling stations in each constituency would be recounted to clear some of the charges.

Opposition raises doubts about investigation

The opposition immediately objected that the prosecutor’s office would not act independently because its head was appointed by the Georgian Dream-led parliament.

Salome Samadashvili of the opposition Strong Georgia coalition has questioned the independence of the prosecutor’s office from the influence of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who founded the ruling party. Ivanishvili made his fortune in Russia and briefly served as Georgia’s prime minister in the early 2010s, but he has remained largely out of the public eye since 2013.

“If anyone thinks they can deceive the Georgian people or our international partners into believing that Bidzina will investigate fraud in their elections, they are mistaken. No one can be deceived,” Samadashvili said.

She added: “That is why we say that the investigation should be carried out by an international mission with an adequate mandate and qualifications. Until that is done, this election cannot and will not have legitimacy or credibility.”

Meanwhile, Zurabishvili, whose leadership role is largely ceremonial, suggested the country was holding a “Russian election” and said “technology was used to whitewash counterfeiting. This has never happened before.”

What did the ruling party say?

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a member of the Georgian Dream, called claims of election fraud “baseless” and asked that Zurabishvili or anyone else have evidence of election fraud to give them up.

“Whether it is Salome Zurabishvili or someone else, if they have any evidence, they should present it to the prosecutor’s office and the relevant authorities, and not make baseless oral statements about events that never happened. This is their responsibility,” – Kobakhidze said.

He added: “However, I am confident that since she does not have the facts, she will not dare go to the prosecutor’s office or provide them with any information regarding the allegations she makes verbally.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.