Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs Responds to PACE Report on Election Incident
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, December 26, 2024
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has responded to the recent PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) report, which detailed an incident at a polling station in Bodbe, Sighnaghi district during the parliamentary elections.
According to PACE's observation team, a group of around 40 individuals allegedly vandalized the vehicle of the PACE monitoring team outside the polling station. The group reportedly punctured the vehicle's tire and then tried to make it look like an accident by crashing an old car into the damaged vehicle. The PACE report described the incident as "unacceptable," adding that the group responsible was made up of "approximately 40 unfriendly strongmen."
In response, the MIA confirmed that administrative proceedings have been launched to identify those responsible for the incident. The Ministry emphasized that the driver of the vehicle immediately reported the damage to the Public Safety Command Center at 112. Following the report, a police unit was quickly dispatched to the scene, where they conducted a site inspection and documented the case.
The MIA also provided further details, stating that the driver claimed the damage to the car was caused by an unidentified vehicle that had been driving along the road. The driver, who requested formal documentation of the incident, did not believe the damage was intentional. Despite this, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is continuing its investigation to determine whether the damage was deliberate and to identify those involved.
On election day, PACE and OSCE/ODIHR monitors reported a number of irregularities near polling stations. PACE observers observed suspicious activity, including minivans parked outside polling stations with numerous individuals inside. The report indicated that representatives of the ruling party were trying to control activities inside the polling stations. These individuals even interfered with conversations between PACE observers and other accredited monitors, demanding that translations be made from English into Georgian.
PACE also reported that many of the so-called "citizen observers" present at the stations were aggressive and uncooperative with the monitoring teams. These observers, who were unable to properly identify the organizations they were supposedly representing, admitted that they were only working for these organizations on election day and were actually affiliated with the ruling party.
