TBILISI, September 22 – The opposition Lelo party says it will deploy cameras at every voting precinct in Tbilisi so that no one can vote at a station where they are not registered.
The party’s mayoral candidate, Irakli Kupradze, said they expect the October 4 vote will not be fair and vowed to “fight on every field,” including through the camera monitoring plan. Kupradze’s campaign remarks were reported by the state broadcaster.
The Central Election Commission has restrictive rules on photo and video recording at precincts. Under the CEC’s decision, fixed photo and video recording is allowed only from a specially designated spot; after an initial ten minutes of filming, cameras must remain at least three metres away from polling booths.
The rules prohibit filming inside voting booths and of the voter lists, and place limits on where equipment may be placed. The CEC rules do not apply to mobile-phone filming, and the period for permitted filming is not time-limited.
Analysts question both the practicality and legality of a private party installing cameras at every precinct. Professor Nika Chitadze said the Lelo initiative appears aimed at proving the party is fighting alleged fraud, but warned that attempting to preempt large-scale manipulation by promising cameras at every station risks legitimizing the election process even if turnout remains low.
Analyst Petre Mamradze, however, raised practical concerns about who would have the legal right to mount and control cameras and how recorded material would be handled.
Observers say recent regulatory changes could limit transparency on election day. Civil society and media outlets flagged earlier CEC amendments as tightening access and limiting observers’ ability to collect evidence at precincts.
International election observers have previously noted that video monitoring may improve transparency during voting, but can also slow down procedures depending on how it is implemented.
