Watchdog Wants Annulment of Results from 30 Precincts

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) said it had filed 230 complaints with the election administration, demanding it invalidate the results from 30 polling stations.

GYLA, which fielded 400 election observers in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and Khelvachauri, said it wanted the election administration to annual results from some precincts in Vake and Saburtalo (both districts in Tbilisi), Kutaisi and Khelvachauri, where, it maintained, “grave violations had been observed.”

“If our demand is met, it is difficult at this stage to say whether it will have an effect on the overall result of the election,” Giorgi Chkheidze, head of GYLA, said on January 7.

In the two Tbilisi districts mentioned by GYLA, candidate Levan Gachechiladze tends to have the lead. In the other areas, incumbent candidate Mikheil Saakashvili has a slight edge.

He also said that despite some procedural violations on election day, in general the polls were held without any “mass violations.” “So we can say that the election was held properly and is valid,” Chkheidze said.