Georgia election marred by intimidation and interference, observers warn – POLITICO

TBILISI, Georgia — 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.”

According to Antonio López-Istúriz White, the head of the European Parliament delegation, “during the electoral campaign, the ruling party used anti-Western and hostile rhetoric, targeting Georgia’s democratic partners, in particular the European Union, its politicians and diplomats, promoted Russian disinformation, manipulation and conspiracy theories.”