Central Election Commission Receives 500 Complaints Regarding Elections
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, October 30
Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia says they received around 500 complaints regarding October 28 presidential elections.
The agency reports that in general the elections were held in a peaceful environment and the majority of the complaints refer to procedural violations.
"Some of those shortcomings had been eliminated at the polling station. Most of the complaints filed in the district are of the disciplinary liability for the members of the Precinct Election Commissions. Two complaints ask for the annulment of the results at two polling stations,” the CEC Spokesperson Ana Mikeladze told reporters.
Out of the procedural violations, Mikeladze pointed out several more serious ones:
• At the polling station # 52 in Marneuli, the representative of one party was trying to hinder the work of the Precinct Election Commission. According to the decision of the Commission, the representative left the polling station;
• In Kutaisi # 49, #110 and Batumi # 6 polling stations there was an attempt to hinder the work of the commission, but after the verbal warnings the incidents were eradicated;
• A voter in Akhalkalaki #49 polling station tried to vote without ID. The Commission did not give him the opportunity to vote;
• It was reported that at the Marneuli # 18 polling station four voters participated in voting with expired IDs.
"In one case, the voter came with an expired ID and tried to vote. After the Commission informed the voter that he could not vote with this the document, the voter presented the passport of the citizen of Georgia. In the remaining 3 cases, voters had permanent IDs, therefore, they took part in the elections," said Mikeladze.
As for the information and call center of the CEC, according to Mikeladze, there were 1 746 calls and 497 online consultations. The vast majority of people wanted to verify their personal data in the list or receive information about the election procedures.
The spokesperson also noted that the decision of the Precinct Election Commission may be appealed at the upper District Election Commission (DEC) within 2 days. The DEC has a two-day term for reviewing the complaint. The decision of the District Election Commission may be appealed at the City Court, which will review the complaint within 2 days. The decision of the City Court may be appealed within 1 day in the Court of Appeal, which should make a decision within 1 day. The decision of the Court of Appeal is final and not complained.
