Coalition for Change Alleges Widespread Election Manipulation in Georgia, Cites Flaws in Voter Registration
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, November 15, 2024
The Coalition for Change held a presentation titled "How the Elections Were Rigged," in which its members outlined alleged electoral manipulations and criticized the pre-election environment in Georgia. The coalition contended that violations marred not only election day but also the lead-up, fostering a polarized atmosphere.
According to the coalition, changes in Georgia's electoral legislation opened the door to potential fraud. Zurab Japaridze, one of the coalition leaders, claimed that on election day, the Georgian government requested airlines to provide lists of passengers arriving in Georgia. "We know this for sure: the government asked airlines for their passenger lists to cross-check if anyone might use someone else's personal information to vote," Japaridze stated.
Japaridze also pointed to discrepancies in voter registration. While the CEC's voter list included 1,495,789 individuals, the National Statistics Service reported that 2,852,881 citizens of voting age were registered in Georgia as of January 1, 2024. He claimed that out of 642,908 eligible Georgian immigrants, 546,998 had not registered to vote, leaving their personal numbers potentially vulnerable to misuse.
Nika Gvaramia, another coalition leader, argued that Georgian Dream artificially boosted votes by exploiting the unregistered immigrant data. "They didn't use passports, just personal numbers written on paper. For every vote gained this way by Georgian Dream, the opposition loses one, amplifying the gap by two," Gvaramia said, asserting that opposition votes were effectively transferred to the ruling party.
The Coalition for Change also highlighted that Georgia's strategic partners expressed concerns about the elections, underscoring the alleged irregularities that could threaten the democratic process in the country.
