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Population of Samegrelo Region “Rocked the Cradle” for Mikheil Saakashvili Again

January 10, 2008
Mikheil Saakashvili’s famous phrase is “The cradle of Rose Revolution was rocked in Samgrelo.” Now the phrase attained new meaning. Local people has rocked the cradle for him once more and as oppositionists claim, Gorozias, Kobalias, Akhalias, Koduas and Gunavas demonstrated their power to Saakashvili again.

Although Samegrelo population expected the elections to be flawed, the scope of the falsification surprised both opposition parties and population. People from this region were less active than in other regions of the country; their turmoil was only 38 %. However, Mikheil Saakashvili received record number of votes. Oppositionists consider that the government did not forget tradition and the activists who were trained by Georgian Citizens Union ran the carousels very successfully. It was not strange for them to put fraud ballot papers in the polling box.

Polling station almost in every village of Samegrelo region opened at 8:00 AM according to the law without any violations. The number of voters was too low by 5:00 PM; it was only 22%. At 1:00 PM a lot of violations were observed in the polling stations and the number of official complaints also increased. At Foti precincts, like in the whole city, the electricity was cut off in the first part of the day. At 8:00 PM when the precincts were closed the votes were counted in the darkness. Despite that, according to the preliminary data the governmental candidate had lost elections in Foti and oppositionists had gained 53 % of votes.

Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of the Political Movement “Tavisufleba”, started visiting the polling stations from Zugdidi and visited almost the whole region. Having returned from the villages of Ingiri, Darcheli and Kakhati, Koko Gamsakhurdia made a statement in the election HQ of Levan Gachechiladze in Zugdidi. “Groups of activists from the National Movement and policemen are mobilized in Zugdidi district. I noticed Tengiz Gunava, the head of the Regional Police Department, who ran the carousels personally; in the car near the village of Darcheli,” said Koko Gamsakhurdia who informed journalists that the carousel started at 3:00 PM in the polling stations # 53, # 19 and # 9. He noticed the darkened yellow buses with Mikheil Saakashvili’s photos on them near polling stations. Nearby he also noticed activists from the leading party too.

At 3:00 PM they discovered a list of one hundred voters on the wall of the precinct # 90 located in the Zugdidi Public School # 2 which was initially opened for the voters without address. 187 voters out of above-mentioned one thousand managed to vote. After observers involved the case the polling process finished and the precinct was closed for one hour. Most voters at the precinct were IDPs from Abkhazia.

Georgian population has not left de-facto Abkhazian territory on January 5. Most part of IDPs voted in the polling stations # 26, 89 and 27 located in the Enguri-Paper-Factory district and took active part in carousels too.

Davit Fatsatsia, the Human Rights Center: “There were not minimal working conditions in the precinct # 26. The windows did not have glasses. The marking process was going on through violations; the batteries of the marking apparatus often went flat and commission members could not mark people. Alex Iar, President of the Independent Centre for Political Monitoring visited the polling station. He witnessed all abovementioned violations personally.”

Uniformed and non-uniformed policemen were mobilized in the precincts, rooms and outside the building; there one could see the activists of the National Movement in red scarves and hats. They made propagandist statements about Mikheil Saakashvili. Similar situation resulted into the quarrel between opposition and activists from the National Movement. Afterwards the precinct was closed down for half an hour and ceased the polling process. Four ballot papers were issued without IDs. The polling box that was to be taken to the Lia precinct # 11 turned out without a seal. Representative of the “Tavisufleba” claimed that there were 30 flawed ballot papers there.

Paata Sordia, the head of the Levan Gachechiladze’s Supportive Team in Tslenjikha: “Voters were not marked in the Sachino precinct # 17. Voters could vote several times-National Movement activists were taking them by buses from one to another precinct.

Nikoloz Pachkoria, Levan Gachechiladze’s supporter was expelled from the Jvari precinct # 5 because he had protested blatant violation there. “I saw how a registrar gave a voter a ballot paper and she was about to take it home to her mother. I protested and demanded to record the violation. So the commission members from governmental party opposed me and blamed for provocation.”

Enough provocations and disorder was observed in the precincts of Senaki PEC. Eka Beselia the head of Levan Gachechiladze’s election HQ in the district personally made four policemen to leave the room who had arrived at the polling station for provocation. “Policemen were mobilized near all precincts…particularly serious violations were observed in Senaki precinct # 12. I witnessed myself how Mzia Kurashvili opened the ballot paper of the voter near the box and checked whom the voter had circled. One voter pushed three ballot papers in the box; other put four…commission members and observers complained about commission chairpersons who prohibited them to move.”

Polling stations in Senaki were not exception among the precincts where voters were not marked. In most cases voters were giving out their fingers in vain…in precinct # 18 the procedure of transporting the polling box was breached and according to the observer’s categorical demand it was transported again. Wave of yellow buses occupied Senaki district from 6 to 7:00 PM…buses drove people fast to other bus-stops successfully…

Many people stopped on the Zugdidi-Tbilisi high-way near Abasha on January 5…at 6:00 PM everybody could hear the song “Misha is great’ coming from the election HQ of Mikheil Saakashvili. Two hours before the polling process finished the supporters of the presidential candidate could not help their excitement. Rezo Mikadze, the head of the HQ said: “Our excitement is equal to our victory. Mikheil Saakashvili has gained most votes in Abasha.” Mikadze considered that he was not violating the law while singing “Misha is great” and it was not propaganda because he was 500 meters away from the polling station.

Unprecedented incident occurred in Martvili PEC # 65. The seal was taken away from the precinct # 4 for half an hour. Aleko Faghava, representative of Levan Gachechiladze’s HQ said: “Nika Tsulaia, an observer protested the fact. Commission members from the governmental party abused him and advised to keep silence…They might were preparing fraud ballot papers voting for Mikheil Saakashvili.”

Precinct # 4 did not have enough red envelopes for voters from additional list. Martvili PEC # 65 breached the law very blatantly and changed red envelopes into white willfully.

A commission member in the Lekhaindrao precinct # 34 in Martvili district looked through the filled-in ballot paper of a voter until pushing it into the polling box. Having seen that number one was circled; he tore the side of the paper and made it invalid. Similar blatant violations were observed by Mamuka Danelia, the district governor though without reaction…People tried to push extra ballot papers in the Namikolao precinct # 32 too.
At 7:00 PM Guge Tsanava, coordinator of Badri Patarkatsishvili’s Election Headquarter in Samegrelo region made statement about prisoners who were serving their terms in Zugdidi Detention Establishment # 4. He spoke about the violated rights of the detainees who were serving pre-trial sentence and could not vote because of not having IDs with them.

Guge Tsanava reported that voters visiting precinct # 9 located at Zugdidi Public School # 4 were protected by Georgian police from Abkhaz attackers. “Officers from Zugdidi division of the Special Operation Department (SOD) and Constitutional Security Department were mobilized at the precinct. They introduced themselves as commission members; however later they admitted they were policemen and were protecting the precinct from Abkhaz. They used such a provocative argument to legalize their existence there…”

Provocation that occurred in the village of Orsantia in Zugdidi District, was assessed as the accord for January 5 elections. At 8:05 PM electricity supply was cut off at the precinct # 59 and it caused serious fuss. Tsitso Toloraia representative of Levan Gachechiladze’s HQ bent over the polling box to protect it; but she was attacked…Activists from the National Movement mixed up fraud ballot papers with the ones dropped out from the broken polling box…However, government representatives could not manage kidnap and replace the box. After ninety-minute-quarrel oppositionists left the precinct in protest…”

Roman Gabisonia, leader of the Conservative Party in Samegrelo, said: “These elections finished with failure for the government. Those twenty thousand votes the opposition has gained alongside the carousel is an honestly achieved victory. The government knows what their result in the elections is; so does the population. Voters arrived at our office from the early morning; they told us how commission members flawed elections at their precincts. As a result of this election the government has gained a lot of enemies in Samegrelo region because they made fun of their people.”

Kakha Mikaia, coordinator of Levan Gachechiladze’s Election HQ in Samegrelo, considers that Ministry of Internal Affairs has benefited most in Saakashvili’s victory. In their region the elections were held by law enforcement bodies. “Central Election Commission, PECs and precincts have the least benefit in Saakashvili’s victory. Law enforcers were falsifying election in Samegrelo; Tengiz Gunava, the head of the regional police department, made the largest effort to falsify elections in Samegrelo. But Gorozias, Kobalias and Akhalias assisted him greatly too. During pre-election campaign local population was suppressed, threatened and kidnapped and the situation fully reflected on the election results. Law activity of the population was the result of the above-mentioned suppression. Local people protested the polls…Saakashvili has made Samagrelo region tired.”

Guge Tsanava connects the results of the elections with the previous terror used by the government against the regional population.  Number first falsifier, former member of the Citizens’ Union, and former member of “Kmara” movement, currently regional Gubernator, Zaza Gorozia and his carousel have also succeeded… 62 % of Zugdidi population did not vote. Thus, we can guess that the people, who attended the demonstration when Saakashvili arrived in Zugdidi, were not local residents. Former president was delivering people by three hundred buses to Zugdidi like Napoleon III was carrying clappers by train during revolution.

Saakashvili has deceived Samegrelo population; under his governance the region does not have future. We are ashamed for this victory!”

Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi

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