The Tbilisi Court of Appeals overturned a decision, which annulled election results in 30 polling stations due to alleged violations of the secrecy of the vote, according to Georgian media.
In a heated 22-hour appeal hearing, the judges cancelled a ruling declaring dozens of votes illegitimate a day earlier by independent judges.
On 26 October, Georgia’s disputed election returned the ruling Georgian Dream to a 54% majority. However, the opposition claimed that the election results were manipulated. The dispute turned to the courts as the opposition sought access to ballots to prove irregularities.
On 7 November, the case advanced to the Court of Appeal, the country’s highest court, for a final decision. The Court headed by Judge Dimitri Gvritishvili rejected all motions submitted by several non-governmental organisations challenging the integrity of the results of the recent elections in eastern Georgia.
During the appeal hearing, the Central Election Commission alleged that Judge Vladimer Khuchua of Tetritskaro District Court showed bias by referring to his activity on social media. This led the appeals court to conduct an “experiment” replicating polling conditions to determine whether the secrecy of the vote could be violated.
One objection raised by the opposition was that the ballots were so thin that the marks made by voters were clearly visible from the back of the paper, violating the secrecy of the vote. In western Georgia, the Kutaisi Court of Appeals similarly rejected all complaints filed by NGOs regarding the election results, reinforcing the judiciary’s position on the integrity of the elections.
Experts argued that the decision could set a significant precedent in Georgia’s electoral legislation and affect future challenges to supervision and judicial independence in the country.
