On October 26, a Georgian-language Facebook account frequently sharing disinformation, posted a video showing several individuals forcibly stuffing multiple ballots into a ballot box. The post includes a caption suggesting that “Azeri supporters of the opposition in Marneuli have gone mad again,” creating the impression that those depicted in the video are members or supporters of the “United National Movement.”
The same video was shared on Telegram by the Moldovan branch of Russian state-controlled media Sputnik, which claimed that provocateurs from the opposition stuffed multiple ballots into a box at a polling station in Marneuli and then circulated the footage themselves. Russian-speaking Facebook users also shared similar claims.
The information shared by both Georgian and Russian sources—that the men in the video are members or supporters of the “United National Movement”—is false. In fact, “Georgian Dream” executive secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze confirmed that one of the individuals depicted in the footage is indeed a “Georgian Dream” deputy.
During the ongoing parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 26, a video circulated in the media and on social networks, showing several men forcefully stuffing an unspecified number of ballots into a ballot box. According to reports, this incident occurred at the 69th polling station in Marneuli, one of the few remaining stations still using traditional voting methods, without electronic equipment. It should be noted that due to this incident, the polling station was closed, and the Central Election Commission invalidated its results.
Shortly after the video went viral, Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of the ruling party, commented, acknowledging that if the footage is authentic and recent, it indeed depicts a “Georgian Dream” deputy. He also expressed his belief that the scene may have been staged, suggesting that the individual was participating in a scheme to destabilize the country by disseminating these images to create issues with the election’s legitimacy.
According to the information disseminated in the media, the individual shown initially attempting to stuff ballots into the box is Rovshan Iskandarov, a deputy from Sadakhlo in the Marneuli City Council and a member of “Georgian Dream.” The chairperson of the 69th polling station also confirmed that the individual in the footage is indeed Iskandarov.
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
