Georgian Dream’s Army of Activists Will Fight against Fabrication of Elections

Nino Mshvidobadze, Guria

Maka Sakhuria is a famous person in Lanckhuti but not because she is a wife of the politician Bidzina Gujabidze. Some time before, Maka Sakhuria won competition of the NDA and IRI and became certified trainer. Due to her experience in the field of elections, humanrights.ge asked her few questions particularly about those violations committed by the government, which were observed during previous elections.

-Let’s start interview with the NDA and IRI competition. What was the competition about and what are your tasks now [after winning it]?

-These organizations took responsibility to train qualified trainers for all political subjects before the elections in Georgia. It was not competition. It was training and follow-up test-exams which I successfully passed and became certified election trainer of the NDA and IRI. I have right to teach election law to the commission members and representatives of the election subjects.

-Elections are not falsified only during previous days of the Election Day. Mostly fabrication is done in polling stations on the Election Day. How do you intend to fight against this total mechanism?

-I do not think so. Elections are less fabricated on the Election Day and they are mostly fabricated beforehand; when the environment is not democratic and fair and persecution, terror, violence against political subjects and population has massive character, it is impossible to hold fair elections in similar environment. Scared citizen will not make free choice and cannot freely express his/her will. I think it is national disaster. Hard, patient and result-oriented work can oppose it. We expect negative methods of election fabrication on the polling day but we are ready for it. Georgian Dream will have a group of 10 motivated and trained activities in every precinct, which will be well-organized, mobile and thoroughgoing. This group will protect votes in polling stations.

-I have personally witnessed how protocols were written in the election HQs of the National Movement and District Election Commissions. These facts prove that part of opposition party observers was cooperating with the ruling party. What will you do now? Will similar facts still occur?

-Nothing is excluded and in separate cases we might still encounter similar facts but I think inactivity and timeserving attitude of the opposition parties remained in the past. Despite unequal conditions, Georgian Dream manages to mobilize multi-thousands army of qualified activists. We will expose betrayers and they will regret their behavior; nothing can rescue their degraded reputation then. Nothing will remain hidden.

-We must confess that members of district and precinct elections commission often do not know their responsibilities and duties; they know only one thing: to implement the order and assist the ruling party to gain as much votes as possible.  In these conditions, how well the representatives of the Georgian Dream in the PECs are trained? How well do they know the election law and their responsibilities?

-Georgian Dream has solid election school whose lawyers trained trainers and trainings are conducted in several stages everywhere. Activists are so motivated and the upcoming election is so significant for us that people are ready to work in the election commissions; everybody has guidelines and instructions, they learn and share experience; I am sure, based on correctly selected staff, we have people who will honorable implement their duties.

-If opposition parties had been stubborn in their demands, many illegal protocols were to be annulled during the previous self-governmental elections in Lanchkhuti district; but it did not happen. If you observe incorrectly filled in protocols, what will the Coalition do?

-It is excluded. In fact, nobody represented opposition parties in Lanchkhuti during 2010 self-governmental elections. Weak, untrained groups observed election process, who had neither motivation nor relevant knowledge. Now, nobody will manage to fraud protocols. We separately teach anti-fabrication methods and anti-protocol fabrication strategy to our observers.

-People say, owners of ID cards will have right to vote in several precincts because those IDs do not indicate place of residence. How will you control this fact?

-There are protective mechanisms in the law. We will particularly control the registrars and entrance controllers. Marking of voters, monitoring of the voters’ lists, control of each ID card will exclude similar violation. One voter cannot be registered in several voters’ lists in various precincts (we permanently work on the verification of lists) and those who are not on the list, will not be able to vote because our representatives will completely control the registrars.

-It is fact that you have to fight against serious power particularly on October 1. Will the Coalition send observers missions in every DEC and precinct, particularly in the regions?

-We have prepared for it; there is enough resource; I can assure you that our observers are mobilized. The Coalition’s representatives will work hard both inside and outside precincts. They are equipped with relevant knowledge.

-An incident occurred during presidential elections in Supsa; a tractor with Saakashvili’s photo was standing in front of a polling station; it was agitation in front of the PEC office that was violation of the law. Pensions were distributed in front of the PEC in Atsana during parliamentary elections. Three voters entered booth together in Khidmagala; representatives of the opposition parties saw these violations but they kept silence. Similar facts will occur now too. What is Coalition going to do in similar situation?

-Parliamentary elections of 2012 is significant because it is our unique chance to change the violator government who has been compelling us to live in unfair environment for years; who breaches our personal and national dignities. They dare everything. It is impossible to expose every violation, to respond and improve them immediately but reality has changed. People know that they should not elect this regime again; this environment shall change and people are so keen to change and develop, that nothing will subdue their desire. People will make their choice together with politician leaders and win on October 1. They will elect the political group, who is oriented on social justice.

I am full of hope; we have an army of 37 thousand self-confident activists who will not allow anybody to fraud elections.