Georgia election marred by intimidation and interference, observers warn

A critical nationwide vote that saw Georgia’s ruling party claim a landslide victory was overshadowed by political violence and irregularities, the Western election monitoring mission in the South Caucasus country warned.

At a press conference in Tbilisi on Sunday, Pascal Allizard, a French senator and special coordinator for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said that vote buying and “imbalances in financial resources, a divisive campaign atmosphere and recent legislative amendments were of significant concern throughout this election process.”