ANALYSIS: ‘They Stole Our Choice’ – Georgia Election Scandal and Danger for the West

A highly controversial victory for the ruling party, which is close to Russia, risks turning another country away from the West, following in the path of Belarus.

A week ago, the presidential election in Moldova, along with a referendum on the country’s European integration, caused concern among neighboring countries.

The pro-European government led by President Maia Sandu was not as strong as before, and the European integration referendum nearly failed – supporters of the country’s European movement won by a minimal margin.

Meanwhile, elections in Georgia brought disappointing news: according to official data, the pro-government “Georgian Dream,” a pro-Russian party, won. It received 54% of the vote and will hold a mono-majority in Parliament.

The “Georgian Dream” authorities have gradually turned the country away from its Western path, moving instead toward Russia, a former enemy that seized more than 10% of Georgia’s territory.

Six months ago, the authorities managed, despite numerous protests, to pass the “foreign agents” law through parliament. This law, aimed at combating non-governmental anti-corruption organizations, was entirely modeled after a similar Russian law.

Georgia has repeatedly, according to multiple media reports, helped Russia circumvent sanctions, and representatives of the Georgian authorities have often taken positions friendly to Russia and contrary to Ukraine in assessing the war. Moreover, the ruling party even used photos of Ukrainian cities destroyed by Russian bombing to argue that it’s necessary to maintain friendly relations with Russia, despite its occupation of Georgian territories.

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These actions, along with systematic restrictions on citizens’ rights, have led EU countries to recently announce that Georgia’s movement towards the Union has effectively halted. However, this did not deter the ruling party, which declared victory in the elections and banned any retaliatory protests.

However, an easy walk did not materialize. President Salome Zurabishvili stated she does not recognize these elections and called on all citizens to protest at 7 p.m. in Tbilisi on Oct. 28. What was the reason?

Falsification mechanism

According to sources from the Kyiv Post, everyone was certain that “Georgian Dream” would resort to fraud to retain power, but no one anticipated the scale.

“At many polling stations, groups of people were mobilized – essentially ‘grunts’ or ‘titushki,’ whatever you want to call them – who exerted psychological pressure on voters and indicated who to vote for. When I photographed them, they immediately showed aggression, swore, and so on. The ruling party deployed these punks at many polling stations,” said journalist Khatia Khasaia.

Khasaia also provided photos of such instances. According to Kyiv Post sources, the authorities even brought many influential representatives of organized crime to Georgia – the so-called “thieves in law.” However, the main tools were bribery and manipulation of voting systems.

“In Georgia, the main document is an ID card. In elections, you insert it into a special device, which issues a ballot. You vote, then insert the ballot into the device, registering it as your vote. The problem is that these devices are not connected to the internet and do not communicate with each other. Thus, a single ID card can be used multiple times. The authorities collected people’s cards for a day or two so they could vote repeatedly at different polling stations,” said Gia Japaridze, a leader of the Georgian opposition National Movement.

He compared this tactic to “carousels” – a technique used in Ukraine by pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych, where groups traveled from polling station to polling station, voting multiple times and violating the principle of “one person, one vote.”

Japaridze, who was elected by these results, declared, “But I will not be a deputy; we do not recognize such results. They stole our choice.”

The scale of the fraud shocked even those familiar with post-Soviet elections in other countries.

“It looks like a Russian special operation. From what we know, governmental personnel were required to hand over their ID cards, and several thousand IDs were urgently printed without being distributed to owners. We can imagine how these cards were used to vote. This is not an election but a seizure of power. No reasonable person would recognize this,” said Nadim Khmaladze, a Georgian NGO activist and veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

In general, Georgian observers pointed to the similarities between these falsifications and those used by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine in 2004-2010 and now in Georgia. In addition to “titushkas” (hired thugs who intimidate and attack observers) and “carousels,” bribery is also widespread—distributing money to poor people for votes.

“Bribery is probably the most common method. People were given specific amounts for votes. Near polling stations, people with lists noted the personal numbers and addresses of people supposed to vote for the ruling party. Some voters’ identity cards were even taken to allow others to vote in their place. It’s noteworthy that the ruling party lost everywhere in Tbilisi and abroad—places where they cannot exert strong pressure on voters, use administrative resources, or rely on bribery. Most violations occurred in the regions, where the most vulnerable populations live,” said Khasaia.

Kyiv Post sources indicate that voters were bribed with sums ranging from GEL 100 (about $30) to GEL 300 (around $100). In the Samegrelo region, amounts from 150 to 300 Lari were offered.

“This is convenient, as no one will report it to law enforcement or international observers or speak openly in the media since they effectively become complicit in a crime,” one Georgian police representative noted.

Consequences

The consequences of these rigged elections could be severe not only for Georgia, where Russian influence is growing. Recently, it was revealed that all Georgian government computer systems were under the control of Russian hackers.

The Georgian government’s policies make the country increasingly dependent on Russia, putting Georgia and its businesses at risk of sanctions for aiding Russian entities under sanctions. Systemic restrictions on rights and freedoms and the persecution of political opponents could block the country’s European integration, increasing its dependence on Russia.

Valery Zaluzhny, General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, recently warned that Georgia, like Belarus, is losing its sovereignty. This is precisely the risk that Georgian interlocutors see.

“We have a government that is effectively a Russian party. They aim to reverse the country’s European integration path and reorient it toward Russia. We could become another North Korea or Belarus if this is not stopped. We hope that our international partners will also not recognize these elections,” said Japaridze.

While the EU has not yet moved to reject the election results, they are reluctant to acknowledge them either. In a statement by the European Commission published on October 28, it was noted that mass violations undermine trust in the electoral process.

“We call on the Central Election Commission of Georgia and other relevant bodies to fulfill their duty to promptly, transparently, and independently investigate and address election violations. These violations must be identified and rectified. This is essential to restore confidence in the electoral process,” the statement read.

Our Georgian sources warn that the risk of the country becoming a Russian satellite could shift the balance in the Caucasus, affecting Azerbaijan’s position and increasing pressure on Armenia, which is currently trying to reduce Russian influence.

For Ukraine and Europe, these elections also hold significance. As Ukrainian MP Yulia Klymenko told Interfax-Ukraine, some citizens of Moldova and Georgia, disillusioned by the bloody war in Ukraine and NATO and EU indecision, are leaning toward Russia. Klymenko noted that the results in Georgia are a lesson for Ukraine and its upcoming elections.

“We must prepare for massive disinformation and an influx of dirty Russian money to buy votes and manipulate politics. Russia will do everything to politically destabilize Ukraine and install its puppets because it cannot win on the battlefield,” said Klymenko.