Global market research and data company "Harris Ex" (HarrisX), which conducted an exit poll for the parliamentary elections in Georgia, said today that the official results announced by the election commission were "statistically impossible". Shortly after, the Georgian opposition called a new protest on Monday, Reuters reported.
The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that the ruling party "Georgian Dream" won the election with 53.96% of the vote. The opposition and the president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, called the results fake, and the prosecutor's office launched an investigation.
Three Georgian opposition parties have called for street protests, saying the election was rigged.
The analysis of "Harris Ex" shows inconsistencies between the results announced by the CEC that cannot be explained from a statistical point of view, indicating possible voting irregularities.
The "Harris Ex" was commissioned by the Georgian opposition TV "Mtavari Arkhi". It showed that the four opposition parties were on their way to obtaining a parliamentary majority, Reuters recalls.
"We will meet from 7 p.m. (17:00 Bulgarian time) on Monday and we will tell you our plan of action there", Ana Dolidze from the opposition bloc "Strong Georgia" said at a press conference of the three opposition parties. She emphasized that the resistance will be conducted peacefully and within the law, but organized and aimed at achieving a specific result.
Georgian opposition leaders have said the continued protests are a key part of their plan to challenge the election results.
"This is the most direct and ancient form of democracy, when a government refuses to listen to its own people," said Tina Bokuchava – leader of the opposition United National Movement (END).
The US company's analysis strongly supports the objections of President Salome Zourabishvili and opposition parties, who claim the election was stolen, Reuters notes. Many, both in Georgia and in the West, see these elections as an important turning point that could determine whether the Caucasian country will return to Russia's orbit or continue toward its stated goal of joining the EU.
The Central Election Commission insists that the vote was free and fair. The Georgian prosecutor's office has opened an investigation and called on Zurabishvili to provide evidence for his claims - something it says is the prosecutor's job.
Monitoring missions, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, have pointed to allegations of serious voting irregularities, which Western countries say should be fully investigated, Reuters recalls.
"Our exit poll analysis, compared to the CEC's final information, raises questions about the final vote count published by the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Georgia," said "Harris Ex".
"We see statistically unexplained discrepancies amounting to more than 8% of the total vote, or at least 172,523 votes, in at least 27 precincts."
According to the company, the discrepancy "cannot be explained by statistical variance, pointing to possible voting irregularities.