“Only perceptions”: Georgian Election Commission Head dismisses unproven election rigging claims

Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Central Election Commission, on Monday said that ongoing assertions of election fraud without presented evidence were damaging Georgia's electoral environment.

Kalandarishvili responded to claims from various political figures and organisations suggesting that an OSCE resolution and conclusion were indicating election rigging.

“Almost eight months have passed since the [parliamentary] elections, and no one has presented any evidence regarding where, what, how, or who violated anything. We know that the accusation of election rigging is a very serious accusation, and in the context of the presumption of innocence, when no one has presented any evidence and it's only at the level of forming certain perceptions that the elections were rigged, we will be absolutely uncompromising on this issue”, Kalandarishvili said.

He further emphasised the CEC's commitment to protecting the electoral environment within its mandate.

“For us, as the body responsible for administering elections, it's important to protect the electoral environment within our competence so that all of this does not harm the trust in elections, the degree of legitimacy, and so on”, he concluded.