Interference of Azerbaijani SOCAR and state media in Georgia's elections

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. During the 2024 parliamentary elections in Georgia, an incident of ballot stuffing was reported at one of the polling stations in Marneuli. A few days later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the arrest of two individuals, one of whom was Rovshan Iskandarov, an ethnic Azerbaijani and a representative of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party in the local authority. Although the Central Election Commission (CEC) annulled the votes from the that polling station in Marneuli, the ruling "Georgian Dream" party still received an overwhelming majority of votes in the predominantly Azerbaijani-populated region, according to the article issued by the ''Geghard" Scientific Analytical Foundation.

"Traditionally, representatives of ethnic minorities in Georgia predominantly vote in favor of the ruling party. However, unlike other ethnic minority groups, the Azerbaijani-populated regions are consistently influenced by either the Azerbaijani government or SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state oil company and Georgia's largest investor. It is worth noting that during all recent electoral processes and campaigns in Georgia, the indirect involvement of Azerbaijan was important for the ruling party. Meanwhile, the opposition has sought to mobilize this electorate around its platform.

Ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections, Georgia's former president and founder of the United National Movement (UNM) party, Mikheil Saakashvili, addressed the country's ethnic minorities, including Azerbaijanis. He urged them not to fear anything and to vote for number 5. "Do not believe those who say that your vote does not matter or that the government will know who you voted for," according to the article, Saakashvili said.

According to the article issued by the ''Geghard" Scientific Analytical Foundation, regarding the ballot-stuffing incident, Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili stated that “it is shameful to use an ethnic minority to rig elections.” Notably, during the 2018 presidential elections, the local ethnic minority had supported Zourabichvili, with Azerbaijan's mediation.

In recent years, discussions have repeatedly appeared regarding Azerbaijan's involvement in Georgia's electoral processes, particularly through SOCAR's activities. This influence is evident in both the nomination of pro-government candidates and their support during election campaigns. During the 2024 parliamentary elections, Azerbaijani state media highlighted ethnic Azerbaijani MPs from Georgia’s ruling party, while avoiding coverage of opposition candidates.

The election campaigns of ethnic Azerbaijani MPs from the Georgian Dream party were covered by the Azerbaijani news agency Azertac. In one of its reports, there was an explicit call to vote for Georgian Dream. Azerbaijani human rights activists in Georgia and the members of the opposition United National Movement party, raised concerns about this issue, accusing Azerbaijan of interfering in Georgia’s elections.

Such incidents are not new in Georgia. In recent years, Azerbaijan has consistently guided ethnic Azerbaijanis to support the ruling party, using media outlets, SOCAR, or influential figures.

Kamran Mammadov, an Azerbaijani analyst residing in Georgia, stated that the United National Movement had better control and did not rely on foreign assistance.

In fact, Azerbaijan plays an indirect role in the elections in Kvemo Kartli. During the 2016 parliamentary elections, the UNM candidate was Ahmad Imamguliev, while the Georgian Dream candidate was Tamaz Naveriani. After the first round of voting, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Georgia and a government official from Azerbaijan visited Marneuli, meeting with locals. At that time, Naveriani wrote on his Facebook page that the visit was evidence of their support for him and Georgian Dream. Following the visit of the ambassador and the minister, representatives of SOCAR also met with the local Azerbaijani community.

A similar incident occurred before the 2018 presidential elections. At that time, Georgian Dream supported the incumbent president Salome Zourabichvili, while the United National Movement candidate was Grigol Vashadze. Five days before the elections, Rovnag Abdullayev, president of SOCAR, visited Marneuli accompanied by Georgian Dream majoritarian MPs. Opposition figures expressed concerns that, as in 2016, Azerbaijan might be involved in the electoral process.

In April 2019, one month before the local government elections, members of both the Azerbaijani and Georgian governments, as well as the Azerbaijani ambassador to Georgia, visited Marneuli. The occasion was the opening of the Integration Center. However, just a few days later, Azerbaijani media reported on the support for Zaur Dargali for the position of mayor of Marneuli. While the Azerbaijani side denied any involvement in the elections, local activists emphasized that Baku's involvement had become an integral part of the system in that region of Georgia.

Rovnag Abdullayev was in Marneuli with representatives of the Georgian Dream party just 10 days before the 2020 parliamentary elections. The official explanation for his visit was to familiarize himself with gasification projects. Days before the 2021 local government elections, Abdullayev and then-Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili attended the opening ceremony of a sports complex in one of Marneuli's villages. During this event, Garibashvili emphasized, "Azerbaijan is not just a neighboring country; Azerbaijanis are our brothers, and we have excellent relations. We are strategic partners and are implementing many important projects." He also expressed gratitude to SOCAR for their effective collaboration.

Notably, all the aforementioned meetings, despite their official explanations, were conducted during the pre-election period. Similarly, the inauguration of new infrastructure projects supported by SOCAR have also coincided with electoral processes in Georgia.