On October 27, an anonymous anti-opposition Facebook account called “Journalist” published a video showing a statement by Nana Malashkhia, a member of the “Coalition for Change,” during a briefing. In the video, Malashkhia says, “The Coalition for Change, we are all together saying that this election was rigged, and the results are legitimate.”
The video, taken from the briefing and featuring a clipped statement by Nana Malashkhia, is being circulated manipulatively. In reality, Malashkhia immediately corrected her statement about the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections, clarifying that they were rigged and that the results are illegitimate. Furthermore, the coalition’s entire briefing focused on the non-recognition of the election results.
On October 27, the “Coalition for Change” held a briefing where coalition members Nika Gvaramia and Nana Malashkhia discussed the parliamentary elections. They stated that the election results are illegitimate and do not reflect the will of the people. Nika Gvaramia referred to the parliamentary elections as a “Russian special operation, a technological special operation,” also noting that the government conducted an audit of the electronic vote-counting devices, which raises doubts about their credibility for the coalition. Nana Malashkhia, the top candidate on the coalition’s parliamentary list, announced that they would not participate in parliamentary activities and would withdraw their list. Malashkhia said she would renounce her mandate, then read the names of the first twenty on the list who also do not plan to join the XI Parliament.
During the briefing, Malashkhia stated that the coalition considers the election fraudulent, continuing with the phrase, “and the results are legitimate.” Immediately afterward, other coalition members clarified that the results are illegitimate, and Malashkhia herself apologized and corrected her statement, reaffirming that the results are indeed illegitimate.
Nana Malashkhia (5:15): “I also want to say, as Nika [Gvaramia] has already mentioned, that this election, we in the Coalition for Change, are all together saying that this election was rigged, and the results are legitimate… illegitimate, sorry, illegitimate. We will not legitimize the stolen votes of the Georgian people. We renounce our parliamentary mandates.”
On October 26, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia. According to the official data from the “Central Election Commission,” five parties surpassed the 5% threshold and entered the XI Parliament. Among them, the ruling “Georgian Dream” party received the highest percentage, with 53.9% of the votes. The “Coalition for Change” received 11% of the vote. Four opposition parties that entered parliament and the President of Georgia question the credibility of the elections, stating that they do not reflect the will of the people.
The amount of misleading information related to the elections has dramatically increased on social media. Noteworthy are manipulated visual materials about politicians and misleading claims about voter numbers. Since election day, “Myth Detector” has been actively verifying such information.
About the Source
The anonymous Facebook account “Journalist,” which published the video, routinely disseminates discrediting photo and video materials about government opponents, journalists, and activists.
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