Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli
Various sorts of violations were observed during the municipal elections in Kvemo Kartli region as it was expected. The main characteristic feature of the municipal elections in the region was problem to distinguish the commission members from the National Movement and opposition parties from each other. Very often, the representatives of the opposition parties interfered in our activities and called us provocateurs. After our entrance into the polling stations, the main interest of the commission members was our rapid departure from there.
Marneuli
The Human Rights Center observed particularly blatant violations in Marneuli district. We visited the polling stations # 2, 85, 67, 3 and 5 in Marneuli. Most part of the violations was observed in the last polling station. By 11:00 am elderly Azeri woman tried to vote with three IDs. After we interfered in the situation, the registrar gave her only two ballot papers for one voter.
The commission member at the same polling station (as we later found out he represented the opposition party) had the election booklet of the National Movement with the photo of the president Saakashvili and election number 5 of the ruling party next to the record book. After our remarks, he said a voter had brought the journal. At the same PS, the person who marked voters was holding the election booklets of the ruling party. After our instructions those booklets were removed from the polling station and thrown into the rubbish bin.
By 12:00 pm, about 10 voters had visited the polling station # 5. The head of the commission Pakhrad Karabghli tried to let them in one by one; though they still encountered some problems because the voters, who had already marked the ballot papers, did not leave the PS. Thus, we had to leave the building and call the police. After their involvement, the strange people left the polling station. The voters were not properly marked in the PS # 5. So we marked people for the second time.
In almost every polling station, Azeri voters left the booth with unclosed ballot papers and showed everybody the marked number 5. Commission members banned them to do it in our presence but we cannot say what happened when we were not there.
In every polling station in Marneuli, where we managed to enter, group of 7-8 young people were moving. If they noticed an observer, the young people said they entered the wrong polling station; or everybody said that they had left the IDs at home. During the transportation in Marnueli a white car was following us. We took several photos of the car before we arrived at the polling station # 67 in Marneuli. About ten minutes after we left the PS, 7 young men approached me and said they had discovered some violations. They had additional and special lists of voters. I told them several times that I did not know how to help them but they stubbornly continued to persuade me and did not leave the area for 15 minutes. About one and half hour after this conversation, I went to the office of the local newspaper to enter the information to the computer. However, I could not find big part of photos in the digital camera and cassette of the Dictaphone though I had not recorded anything in the Dictaphone on the Election Day. Despite these facts, I can say that during our work in Marneuli, the biggest problem for us was the fact that all our remarks and instructions were accepted as provocation and interference in the activities of the PS.
Gardabani
After Marneuli we visited the polling station # 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 in Gardabani. We saw mini buses in front of the district administration building. Drivers said they served the voters and did not work for any particular party. Several minutes later, the single mandate candidate of the ruling party in Gardabani district Manuchar
Jokhadze arrived at the place and said. “These vehicles serve only our voters! What do you want?” We clarified that the drivers hid the truth and it attracted our attention. We inquired the name of the new-comer and Jokhadze said: “I am single mandate candidate Manuchar Jokhadze and you can record my name with capital letters.”
We saw Jokhadze in various polling stations during the Election Day. More precisely, he visited the polling station # 1 and 2. In the latter, when we were taking photos of the 8 cars standing outside the polling station, he started to pose in front of the camera and we took his photo too. 17-year-old Khana Mamedova tried to vote in the polling station # 3 in Gardabani; the observer from the local newspaper “Rustavi News” Gia Mazmishvili noticed her. The voter was dismissed from the PS without giving her a ballot paper. At the same PS, voter marked number 5 on the instruction pasted in the election booth instead the ballot paper. We changed the instruction however, the head of the commission said that it was not first occasion in their polling station.
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