Court Turns Down Ombudsman’s Case Against CEC

Tbilisi City Court has rejected the request of the Public Defender’s Office (POD) and refused to impose a fine on the Central Election Commission (CEC) for not releasing copies of signatures made by voters at some polling stations before they voted in the January 5 presidential election.

The PDO’s request for the information followed allegations that voter turnout, particularly in the Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions, was artificially inflated to the benefit of President Saakashvili.

The PDO had claimed that the CEC’s refusal to hand over information about voter signatures constituted a breach of the law and appealed to the court to impose a fine of between GEL 800 and GEL 2,000 on the commission; in addition, the PDO also wanted the court to insist that the CEC hand over the requested information.

Public Defender Sozar Subari, who is currently in Strasbourg, is expected to respond to the court’s ruling after his return to Tbilisi next week.