On October 26, when we go to the polling stations, we will be greeted by the members of the precinct election commissions. They will mark you, give you a ballot, and in the evening after everyone has finished voting, they will count the votes. In this parliamentary election, parties will have their representatives in the precinct commissions, while the Election Administration of Georgia (CEC) must appoint 8 neutral members. The members appointed by the CEC include the commission chairperson, deputy chairperson, and secretary. In other words, all key positions at the polling station are controlled by the CEC.
The precinct commission is subordinate to the district commission, where the same principle applies. If we truly want fair and transparent elections, it is necessary to have trustworthy and neutral people in both the precinct and district commissions. However, our investigation shows that this is not the case.
The CEC has appointed “impartial” commission members in Imereti. Among them are open supporters of the “Georgian Dream,” public officials who act as government propagandists, and employees of city halls, municipal N(N)LEs, schools, and kindergartens.
The chairpersons and members of the precinct election commissions were selected on September 7, and the temporary members of the district commissions (who will only work for this election) were chosen on August 31.
In such cases, the Election Code of Georgia is not strict, and it seems that the “Georgian Dream” is not concerned about this at all. The following legal provision works in their favor:
“It is permitted for election commission members or leaders to simultaneously work in city halls or city hall N(N)LEs. The only positions incompatible with election commission membership are those of ministers, members of parliament, heads of apparatus, chairpersons/deputy chairpersons of municipal councils, mayors, deputy mayors, judges, their deputies, or employees of the prosecutor’s office.”
We examined who the CEC appointed to the election commissions in the 12 municipalities of Imereti, across all 12 districts and 74 precincts. We checked the identities of approximately 750 commission members, both in urban and rural precincts, and found that:
- 62 precinct commission members are employees of city halls or municipal N(N)LEs;
- 185 precinct election commission members are employed in schools or kindergartens (teachers, caregivers, librarians, directors/heads);
- 21 precinct commission members are supporters of the “Georgian Dream,” or disseminators of government propaganda;
- 18 district commission members are employees of city halls, N(N)LEs, schools, or kindergartens;
- 7 district commission members are open supporters of the “Georgian Dream.”
Who Will You Find in the CEC’s “Neutral” Commission?
School and Kindergarten Teachers
In Imereti’s municipalities, 185 precinct commission members are employees of schools or kindergartens. The majority are teachers, with some being school or kindergarten directors. The usual pattern is this: polling stations set up in school buildings are often chaired by the directors of those schools, while the regular commission members tend to be teachers from the same school.
We experimented by calling some of the CEC-appointed teacher commission members without revealing that we were journalists. Instead, we pretended to be calling from the “Georgian Dream” headquarters, following instructions from door-to-door campaign coordinator Tariel Kargadze.
We asked them about the political sentiments of voters in their precincts and whether we could count on them to protect our votes on the 26th. We called a total of 10 teachers and directors.
Suzana Bitsadze, a history teacher at Shukruti Village School in Chiatura, will be a member of the Chiatura 2nd precinct commission, appointed by the CEC.
Journalist: How many opposition-leaning people do you have?
Teacher: Not many, at least…
Journalist: So, there are plenty of our supporters, right?
Teacher: Yes, yes, yes, yes… absolutely.
Journalist: You know there will be provocations on the 26th, and you need to protect the votes for the “Georgian Dream” until the end.
Teacher: Yes, we are ready. As far as I know, we don’t expect provocations from any of our members.
Journalist: So, we can count on you at this precinct, right?
Teacher: Yes…
We also called Tamar Zarnadze, the principal of Kursebi Public School, who is the chairperson of the 21st precinct in the same village. Initially, she told us that she couldn’t comment on voter attitudes and that we should check with the campaign headquarters or agitators, as she doesn’t get involved politically. However, she eventually gave us some insider advice, saying that Kursebi needed more work:
“Probably fifty-fifty. Some people do promise [support], but still… you can’t say for sure. Let’s see how things go… we’re doing our job, and God willing… Kursebi is a precinct that needs a bit of work, people [agitators] are working, and let’s see what happens. Everything should turn out well, from our point of view at this stage.” We asked her, too, if we could count on her to protect our votes on the 26th, to which she confidently responded: “Of course! I’ll do everything I can, no question… absolutely.”
We asked about the numerical difference between opposition and government supporters in Vani and Samtredia.
“There’s probably a slight difference, unfortunately… Maybe, at most, 60 percent [support for Georgian Dream], and that’s a very, very generous maximum, based on a rough count… As for those who don’t say anything, it’s unclear,” responded Nino Oniani, a “neutral” commission member appointed by the CEC. She is the chairperson of the 12th precinct in Samtredia and the principal of Public School No. 12.
“In our village, of course, there are more… Georgian Dream supporters… I’m on their side too, it seems, and so is everyone else…” [Journalist: So, the whole precinct is with us?]
“Yes, yes, yes! Wishing you success and a prosperous month, for all of Georgia,” said Zeminari Sharashenidze, deputy chairperson of the 11th precinct in the village of Gadidi, Vani, and a schoolteacher.
Maia Kobulia heads the commission at the 2nd precinct in Tskaltubo and is also the principal of Tskaltubo Public School No. 4. Like her colleagues, she wasn’t surprised to receive a call from someone posing as being from the Georgian Dream campaign headquarters.
Journalist: Is there any conflict among the members that could hinder the election process?
Teacher: As always, there are major complaints, I don’t know where they find these kinds of people at UNM, who are always stirring up provocations, so we try to maintain a very calm and balanced environment.
Journalist: Are our supporters more numerous, or are opposition supporters? I’d like an honest assessment.
Teacher: Ours! Because where I work, and everywhere else, a lot of people are, of course, positively inclined toward the government.
Journalist: You remember, you need to protect Georgian Dream’s votes, right?
Teacher: Of course, of course…
Manana Mikadze, the principal of the Patara Jikhaishi village school in Khoni and chairperson of the 21st precinct, was also asked if our supporters outnumbered the opposition. She replied:
“In reality, our supporters in the village… there won’t be any problems. We’ve always tried, and this year especially, to make sure the situation doesn’t escalate when we see that it might.” Finally, we reminded her, “You know, you need to protect Georgian Dream’s votes, right? “Yes, understood,” the school principal replied, reassuringly.
Makvala Revia, a member of the 57th precinct commission in Tskaltubo and a teacher at Public School No. 2, where she teaches history and civic education, also received our call. At the end of the conversation, we asked her to protect Georgian Dream’s votes on the 26th, to which she responded: “You can count on me, of course … I wish you success.”
“An election commission member is not a representative of the entity that appointed or elected them. They are independent in their duties and subject only to the Constitution of Georgia, the law, and relevant subordinate acts. Any influence on or interference with the election commission member’s work to affect decisions is prohibited and punishable by law,” states the Election Code.
The loyalty of school principals or teachers to a party and their willingness to nod to election-related tasks is not the norm, as proven by the ethical behavior of their colleagues. Three school principals from Samtredia, Baghdati, and Vani assured us that counting supporters of the “Georgian Dream” is not their responsibility and that they must remain impartial.
“I don’t get involved politically in such situations because I am the commission chairperson, and it’s not my place to deal with that. For me, a voter is a voter,” said Manana Gurgenadze, the principal of Nergeeti Public School and chairperson of the 2nd precinct in Baghdati, during our experiment.
“That’s not my business, ma’am, who supports whom. It’s not my prerogative, I don’t ask and I’m not interested,” said Venera Odilavadze, the principal of Samtredia Public School No. 3 and chairperson of the 3rd precinct, which is also located in the same school.
“[After asking about the number of supporters]… I can’t tell you that, I don’t know in advance. Personally, I don’t get involved in those debates, it’s not allowed for me. Let’s wait for the elections. Generally, we, as commission members from the district, are neutral. We must protect everyone’s vote fairly and objectively”, answered Manana Chachua, chairperson of the precinct in the village of Mtisdziri in Vani and a schoolteacher.
District election commissions have no fewer than 17 members. Of these, eight are selected by the CEC, and nine are chosen by political parties. The CEC appoints five members for a five-year term and three members temporarily, until the announcement of the specific election results. It is within these temporary appointments that supporters of the “Georgian Dream” among public officials often find themselves. Candidates for commission membership first undergo a selection process, after which the chosen candidates are put to a vote. Among the other nine members of the district commission, there must be one representative from each political party.
Precinct election commissions also consist of 17 members. Eight are chosen by the corresponding district commission through a competitive process, while nine are appointed by political parties, with each party nominating one member.
“This process is purely formal in our case. The exact number of applications submitted matches the number of vacancies… Pre-organized and mobilized individuals participate in these competitions, meaning ‘Georgian Dream’ already knows in advance who will be on the precinct or district commissions… In normal, proper states, this should happen through real competition, under conditions of real competitiveness,” says Tengo Tevzadze, a member of the “Coalition for Change” and the “Akhalis” party. In 2022, he was a candidate for CEC chairperson.
Loyal Public Officials in the “Neutral” Commission
Now, we will provide a few detailed examples, and you can judge for yourself whose interests these CEC-appointed commission members will protect on election day.
Sopho Gigineishvili works in the Administrative Service of the Samtredia City Hall and is also a member of the Samtredia District Election Commission. One might think that a public servant could remain neutral and not support the ruling party and that their presence in the commission wouldn’t create a significant conflict of interest. However, Sopho Gigineishvili is an open supporter of the “Georgian Dream.” She has shared the party’s statements multiple times on Facebook, including posts from government propagandist Dito Samkharadze about the “Russian law”; campaign posts for “Georgian Dream” majoritarian MP candidate Givi Chichinadze; a video of Irakli Garibashvili being reappointed as Prime Minister; and more.
“She is a lawyer and has always interfered in elections in a very bad way; she is the first one to commit fraud. She is a dedicated supporter of the Georgian Dream,” says a source from Samtredia, a representative of an opposition party who knows Gigineishvili personally.
We called Sopho Gigineishvili to ask if she knew that neutrality was required. She confirmed that she works in the legal department of the city hall, but when we mentioned her role in the commission, she became irritated and said:
“What do you want? I don’t understand. Repeat, who are you? How am I supposed to know who might be calling me? If I could identify you, I would give you a full answer, but I don’t know who you are, and why should I give you this information?” We told her that she could easily Google our names and verify that we were calling from iFact. However, she refused to do so and said, “Goodbye,” before hanging up.
Another loyal public official is Sophio Kanchaveli, the secretary of the 5th precinct commission in Tskaltubo. She is also an employee of the press service of Tskaltubo City Hall and is actively involved in spreading propaganda. On her Facebook wall, you can find posts supporting the mayoral and majoritarian candidates of “Georgian Dream”; The results of a poll commissioned by Imedi TV showing that Georgian Dream would receive 61% in the upcoming elections; and more posts from Dito Samkharadze, including accusations about NGOs using “dirty money” and minimizing anti-government protests in Tbilisi.
Sophio Kanchaveli also confirmed her role as the commission secretary and told us: “I know my rights very well. I am completely neutral. Is there a problem? I am officially on leave right now, and my duties [at City Hall] are suspended.”
On April 6, Nino Saghareishvili, a member of the 26th precinct commission in Khoni and an employee at the municipal N(N)LE “House of Gratitude,” shared a post by POSTV propagandist journalist Natia Beridze about the so-called “Russian law” and reacted with heart emojis. According to her, she founded “Georgian Dream” in Khoni in 2011 and collected 5,000 signatures. It is also evident that Saghareishvili has a close relationship with Georgian Dream MP Dito Samkharadze.
On October 2, even after being selected as a commission member, she continued campaigning on social media, sharing a video with the caption: “Why we all need to go to the elections and support Georgian Dream.” However, this is prohibited by the Election Code: “Any person may engage in pre-election campaigning or participate in agitation, except for an election commission member.”
When we called Nino Sagareishvili, she confirmed her role as a commission member and told us that she saw no conflict of interest because she was already on leave. When we mentioned her campaigning, she angrily replied:
“Are you mocking me right now, or what kind of violation are you talking about? I have the right to express my opinion on my social network, and I haven’t violated any subordination in this particular case. Where did you see me telling anyone to vote for the Georgian Dream? Have a good day, and don’t call my number again.”
Giorgi Mzhavandze, the chairperson of the 71st precinct commission in Kutaisi and an employee of Kutaisi City Hall N(N)LE “Special Services,” also shared a pro-Georgian Dream campaign video on Facebook after being appointed as a commission member. He frequently shares posts criticizing the opposition and supporting the ruling party. He does not seem to view his role in the CEC as problematic despite his behavior.
“Why is there a conflict of interest? I am a CEC representative, I work in an N(N)LE, and I am not a public servant, nor am I a representative of any political team. Why shouldn’t I be able to count votes? Alongside me, 16 commission members are controlling the vote counting process, plus probably as many observers who will be there on election day,” said Giorgi Mjavandze.
In Chiatura, the secretary of the 2nd precinct commission is Natalia Shukakidze, an employee of the Merjevi-Ivantsminda Kindergarten. She is a non-partisan member appointed by the district, and neutrality is expected of her on October 26. However, it is doubtful how well she can manage this.
In 2016, Natalia Shukakidze attended a Georgian Dream rally wearing the party’s neckerchief. She continues to promote the ruling party’s agenda on Facebook, sharing posts that criticize the opposition, support Georgian Dream, and contain anti-Western and hate-filled language. On April 29, 2024, she traveled from Chiatura to Tbilisi to attend the “Universal Assembly,” a pro-Georgian Dream rally orchestrated by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, presented as if it were a gathering of enthusiastic supporters of the “transparency law.”
The full text of Ivanishvili’s April 29 speech was shared on Facebook by Rusudan Zarnadze, who is the chairperson of the 2nd precinct commission in Terjola and also works in the Financial and Treasury Service of the city hall.
Among the CEC-appointed members, some are not just ordinary specialists in the city halls but lead entire departments in city administrations. For example, Irina Shalamberidze is the head of the Treasury Department at Khoni’s Financial and Budgetary Service and also serves as the chairperson of the 26th precinct commission in Khoni.
“For a high standard, precinct election commission members must be neutral and apolitical… Even those appointed directly by political parties should remain impartial. Unfortunately, it is common for precinct commission members to directly engage in campaigning. This is already a violation of the law, and we have submitted numerous complaints to the election administration regarding this. Unfortunately, in several cases, the complaints were not upheld, and we are still awaiting decisions,” explained Giorgi Oniani, a researcher at ISFED (International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy).
What Will the Opposition Do in the Face of Biased Commission Members?
We asked opposition parties what they are doing to address this situation and what risks they see in the fact that on October 26, “Georgian Dream” will effectively be in a privileged position, with not only party-appointed members but also CEC-appointed officials working in its favor.
All of them told us that this scenario is repeated not only in Imereti but throughout the country and that the number of ruling party supporters in the commissions is alarmingly high. According to the opposition, the presence of covert “Georgian Dream” supporters in what is supposed to be a neutral commission increases the risks of election fraud and violations, such as in queue management, ballot distribution, vote counting, or ballot invalidation.
“These people are part of Georgian Dream’s party machine, embedded in public service, and from there, they are distributed into the commissions… If they’re not independent, they may deliberately give wrong instructions on how to fill out the ballot, causing it to be invalidated. Or they might manipulate queue management at polling stations to mobilize Georgian Dream supporters if they see turnout is low. Similarly, when deciding whether a ballot from an opposition voter is invalid, they may make decisions that favor the Georgian Dream,” said Natia Mezvrishvili, Deputy Chairperson of the political party “Gakharia – For Georgia.”
“We have documented all of this and strictly warned ‘Georgian Dream’ that if these people try to manipulate or influence the results in any way, we will take a very strong stance. We are waiting to see how they behave on election day. We know they aren’t neutral. The lack of trust comes from the fact that the boundary between the state and ‘Georgian Dream’ is blurred, especially during election periods. These people are dependent on the government, and that’s why they were chosen,” said Tengo Tevzadze, a member of the party “Akhali”.
We also asked Giorgi Sioridze what he thought about the situation at the polling stations, as he was himself a CEC’s deputy chairperson from the opposition.
“As a CEC member, I am personally supposed to ensure that these individuals are impartial. However, based on these facts, I am convinced they are not independent. This has been a longstanding practice at both the precinct and district levels. These individuals go through rigorous filters to ensure they follow every directive and serve the interests of the government. The entire process is a farce, with pre-selected individuals in place. There may be a few exceptions, but they’re rare,” said Giorgi Sioridze, a member of the political council of “Strong Georgia.”
The opposition believes that the only solution is vigilant oversight by election observers. They emphasize the need for close monitoring of every polling station, scrutinizing every action taken by commission members, and responding immediately to any violations, whether it involves a registrar, a queue organizer, or any other official involved in the process.
We wanted to ask the CEC what they think about the violation of the political neutrality required by their own rules, given that commission members openly support the ruling party. A representative of the press office told us, “Provide specific examples, and we will respond accordingly.” We wrote to the CEC, detailing which of their appointed members are public officials, supporters of the “Georgian Dream,” or propagators of its messaging. We also explained in detail what school principals told us during our experiment.
Press spokesperson Natia Ioseliani sent us a standard, written response, stating that commission members were selected according to the law, that all of them are certified, and that their employment cannot be a reason to question their impartiality.
“…A commission member should not be evaluated based on past actions, including sharing posts on social media. These individuals should be judged by the decisions and actions they take within the scope of their authority. Therefore, we urge all parties involved, including the media, to observe the activities of the appointed individuals and assess each representative of the election administration based on their decisions and actions. For its part, the election administration confirms its readiness to respond to any confirmed instances of violations,” the CEC wrote to us.
