An explosive report by opposition-aligned Georgian broadcaster TV Pirveli has accused the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party of widespread vote-rigging in last month’s disputed general election. 

In an investigation on the popular programme Nodar Meladze’s Saturday, aired on November 3, Georgian Dream is alleged to have used an intricate web of tactics to maintain its grip on power. The allegations have stunned local and international observers, many of whom have refrained from endorsing the election results and have called for an independent investigation. 

The accusations range from the use of a sprawling network of “call centres” using secretly acquired data on individual voters, to systematic vote-buying and intimidation, painting a picture of electoral manipulation that opposition leaders claim was engineered to guarantee GD's victory.

Central to the report is the revelation that Georgian Dream created some 6,000 call centres operating in near nearly every district, tracking voters with military-like precision. The evidence includes thousands of leaked digital files, messages, documents, and video footage, suggesting that these centres had access to a comprehensive (and illegally acquired) voter database. 

Each citizen was assigned a unique identifier and monitored by multiple individuals to ensure their turnout for the ruling party, according to the report. Teams of “captains” managed these centres, reportedly using software connected to GD headquarters to track voters in real-time. 

Located in schools, community kitchens, and other public spaces, these centres served as nerve centres for orchestrating election-day turnout, with captains using personal IDs and SMS-based codes to access the programme, the report alleges. The level of control displayed here, critics argue, reflects a level of election engineering rarely seen in the country.

TV Pirveli’s investigation also accuses Georgian Dream of startling examples of “carousel voting”, wherein GD-aligned voters allegedly cast ballots multiple times or used falsified identification documents. Facilitated by local election officials, this technique is believed to have been critical in padding GD’s vote count, the report alleges. Investigators have traced some of these participants.

The investigation also uncovered reports of GD-affiliated individuals intimidating opposition supporters at polling stations. GD’s influence allegedly extended into the realm of election monitoring: The report claims that GD-affiliated groups registered as "neutral" observers under obscure names and were tasked with controlling the vote. These so-called observers reportedly coerced voters, with some even following individuals into polling booths to ensure compliance. 

Meanwhile, in response to such allegations, the Central Election Commission (CEC) formally requested the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate, asserting that the scope of the accusations exceeds its administrative powers. The CEC issued a statement affirming its commitment to transparency, pledging to assist the investigation by providing relevant information. 

Following President Zourabichvili’s high-profile call for accountability last week, opposition leaders have also come under scrutiny from authorities. Prominent opposition figures Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the Lelo party, and Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of Girchi - More Freedom, were summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged criminal violations tied to last month’s parliamentary elections.

However, both politicians signalled their unwillingness to cooperate with the Prosecutor’s Office directly. Instead, Khazaradze announced his intention to present evidence of election fraud in court, while Japaridze demanded a public forum to air the allegations. 

“If they won’t address this openly, I’ll bring the case to a magistrate judge and reveal how the elections were manipulated,” Japaridze stated, challenging the integrity of the current investigations.

Local election monitoring coalition WeVote, which represents 29 NGOs, has voiced sharp criticism of the Prosecutor’s Office, accusing it of diverting the investigation away from election fraud and instead focusing on NGOs and election monitors themselves. In a recent statement, WeVote claimed that its representative, Londa Toloraia, had been summoned and questioned in court, not on the alleged electoral malpractices, but seemingly over the way it had delegitimised the CEC's results. 

“The questioning of our representative showed that the Prosecutor’s Office aims not to uncover the truth but to reinforce the official outcome declared by the CEC,” the coalition said. 

They called on the authorities to prioritise an impartial investigation into alleged vote-rigging practices rather than target the actions of monitoring organisations.

The judiciary’s involvement has also raised concerns, with NGOs pointing to Dimitri Gvritishvili, a judge on the Appeals Court panel hearing election-related cases, as a member of the “Clan of Judges” allegedly aligned with Georgian Dream. This group, critics claim, has repeatedly resisted judicial reform efforts, undermining the independence of Georgia’s legal system. 

Lawyers from NGOs requested Gvritishvili’s removal from the proceedings, citing his close ties to the ruling party; however, the request was denied. 

The public outcry continues to build. Outside the Tbilisi Appeals Court, protesters from the opposition and civil society groups, including Unity - National Movement, For Georgia, and Strong Georgia, have gathered to demand an impartial investigation and a rerun of the elections. 

Demonstrators placed dozens of stickers on the courthouse gates, bearing slogans like “Get your freedom back,” “It was stolen! It was rigged! Don’t tolerate it!” and “Rebel against the Russian regime!” 

A special police unit has been deployed to monitor the crowd, underscoring the mounting tensions over the election’s integrity and the judiciary's role in addressing—or potentially dismissing—the growing wave of accusations.