‘These are Criminal Elections’ – Opposition

Davit Gamkrelidze, head of the opposition nine-party bloc’s campaign, called for a high voter turnout in order to prevent, as he put it, already ongoing cases of ballot rigging.

“Criminal bosses and law enforcement officers, as well as officials from various state structures are jointly holding these elections through cooperation,” Gamkrelidze said. “The Georgian history does not remember such criminal, violent elections.”

“I want to ask the Georgian population, the entire society and voters to turn out at te polling stations, to participate in the elections because your active participation in the process is a guarantee that despite such rigging, such merry-go-rounds [cases of multiple vote] and violence, the National Movement and the Saakashvili’s regime will not win in the elections. I want to address OSCE and all international election missions not to allow ballot rigging and not to turn a blind eye on violations.”

Earlier on Wednesday Gamkrelidze claimed that Koba Davitashvili, the leader of Party of People – the part of the nine-party opposition bloc – was attacked and “physically assaulted” by unknown men in the village of Rukhi of the Zugdidi district.

Koba Davitashvili is the nine-party bloc’s majoritarian MP candidate in the Zugdidi single-mandate constituency. Gamkrelidze said that TV crews from Rustavi 2 and Mze TV stations were also present and their cameras have been smashed by the attackers. He, however, also said that although Mze TV failed to save the recorded video footage of the incident, the Rustavi 2 TV possessed it. Rustavi 2 TV, although reported this statement by Gamkrelidze, said nothing in response.