The manner in which parliamentary elections were held in Georgia yesterday is evidence of a retreat from democracy in the country, observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said today, quoted by Reuters.
The ruling Georgian Dream party received more than 54% of the votes in the parliamentary elections, the electoral commission announced, but the result was contested by opposition parties.
Observers from the European Parliament of the elections in Georgia said that they witnessed fraud during the electoral process and that the vote was a “retreat from democracy” in the country – a candidate for EU membership, France Press reported.
“We are deeply disturbed by the retreat of democracy in Georgia. The conduct of yesterday’s elections, unfortunately, is proof of this,” the EP observers said, detailing that they had witnessed cases of “stuffing of ballot boxes” and “physical attacks ” against observers, BTA reported.
Georgian observers also reported violations in the conduct of the elections, DPA said.
Observers from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reported serious violations of the electoral process The Association of Young Lawyers in Georgia reported numerous cases of multiple voting. The association said that the work of its observers was hindered and demanded that the electoral commission clarify these issues. Other NGOs noted that the results did not reflect the will of the voters. The pro-European opposition, which participated in various coalitions, did not recognize the preliminary results.