During a briefing at the Georgian Dream office, Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, criticized certain NGOs, stating that they are using misinformation to achieve political objectives.

He claimed that a specific NGO was inciting “hysteria” over voting secrecy.

“One particular NGO has stirred up hysteria regarding voting secrecy, voter mobilization, and conspiracy theories on high voter support,” Papuashvili said. “In reality, since 2021, six elections have been conducted using electronic counting, with no complaints about ballot secrecy or ink markings in any election. After failing to find any legitimate issue, they fabricated this accusation five days later to allege a breach in ballot secrecy.”

Papuashvili cited international examples to argue that Georgia’s voting practices align with global standards. “In Poland, ballots are cast in transparent boxes without envelopes, making voters’ choices visible. Should GYLA claim that Poland’s elections lack secrecy and should be annulled?”

He added, “In Bulgaria’s 2024 parliamentary elections, transparent boxes were also used without envelopes. Lithuania’s recent parliamentary elections, held just last week, used semi-transparent boxes, and Moldova’s elections yesterday had similar setups. If these countries’ election processes meet international standards, why should our elections be questioned?”

Papuashvili concluded that these NGOs resort to misleading claims to further their agendas. “When they can’t find real arguments, they cling to whatever they can,” he said.