Last two elections in Georgia have been marred with allegations of manipulation and pressure on voters of decisive proportion. But Iza Chirgadze, member of Kutaisi №90-precinct election commission was the very first election administration official to blow the whistle.
Days after the local election runoffs in which GD candidates were declared victorious in key cities with razor thin margins Chirgadze emerged in UNM’s Kutaisi office publicly stating she was pressured by superiors to allow multiple voting and manipulations.
Ms Chirgadze specifically stated she was repeatedly pressured by superiors to allow unauthorized persons or individuals without identification documents to enter the precinct and cast votes. After she refused several times, she received phone reprimands and strict instructions to allow the illegal votes to be cast.
Ms Chirgadze also said when on the way to the press conference in UNM office she was met by Georgian Dream representees desperately attempting to change her mind, revealing, as she claimed that her phone conversations were monitored.
Following the press conference Ms Chirgadze went missing for several days. She was eventually interviewed in the police.
“My intention is to go silent, but everyone knows everything anyway,” she said after emerging from an interview in the local Police.
Unlike the press conference, Ms Chirgadze also denied any pressure and insisted she went to a village “to help a relative.”
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