In Georgia, the court canceled the results of elections at 30 polling stations due to a “black mark”
Kyiv • UNN
A Georgian court has annulled the results of voting at 30 polling stations due to see-through ballots. The Georgian Young Lawyers Association will seek to overturn the results at all polling stations with electronic ballot boxes.
In Georgia, a court has made a precedent-setting decision, canceling the election results from 30 polling stations due to see-through ballots, UNN reports citing Novosti Georgia.
Details
Judge Vladimir Khuchua ruled that the secrecy of the vote was "definitely" not observed after the investigative experiment.
A mock election using electronic voting boxes was organized right in the meeting room. The participants were convinced that the "black mark" on the ballot was visible when it was taken into the machine from the envelope frame.
The lawsuit was filed by the Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia. The organization will seek to cancel the election results at all polling stations where electronic ballot boxes were used. This is 90% of voters.
The court satisfied the AMLG's claim, which sets a new precedent in protecting the voter's right to secrecy of the vote. The court checked the ballots of several polling stations in Tsalkinsky and Tetrytskaroisky districts by random sampling, where it was confirmed that the back of the ballots showed traces of a marker that violated the right to secrecy of the vote. The judge who conducted the verification himself emphasized the obvious fact of violation of confidentiality when placing the ballot into the counting machine. The ALCU welcomes this decision and emphasizes its importance in ensuring a democratic electoral process," the Bar Association said in a statement.
This is the only court in Georgia that has granted the AMYG's claim for violation of voting secrecy these days.
In total, the courts are currently considering more than 1,300 complaints from opposition parties and non-governmental organizations regarding various violations. The complaints were filed with the city and district courts of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Bolnisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Gurjaani, Mtskheta, Signakhi, Tetritskaro, Khashuri, Telavi, Gori, Zugdidi, Ozurgeti, Khelvachauri, Senaki, Poti, and Akhaltsikhe. More than 20 judges will decide on the complaints.
Recall
A large-scale protest against the results of the parliamentary elections, which the opposition considers to be fraudulent, is taking place in the center of Tbilisi. Protesters with the flags of the EU and Georgia demand new elections.
