The Central Election Commission issues statement regarding the disseminated information about “Smartmatic”.

“We would like to address recent media reports regarding the international “Smartmatic” company which has absolutely no connection or affiliation with Georgia’s election administration. However, based on our observations, this information appears to be used in a manipulative manner to portray the agency and electronic elections negatively, thereby fostering unfounded perceptions. The matter pertains to the legal dispute initiated against several representatives of the “Smartmatic” company. As noted in the materials prepared by the media, according to information provided by “Smartmatic”, the dispute is not directed against the company itself but rather against specific individuals who are fired from “Smartmatic” at this time.

Despite the fact that individuals in question have no formal or legal affiliation with Georgia’s election administration, there has been an attempt to speculate on this matter and unjustly associate it with the election administration in a negative light, which is equally unfounded. Additionally, it is important to emphasize that the dispute does not involve electronic voting devices or their performance. Therefore, the issues discussed in the media reports have no bearing on the elections scheduled for October 26 in Georgia and do not cast doubt on their proper functioning and reliability.

Furthermore, we would like to remind you that in recent years, the American auditing company “Pro V&V” conducted a compliance audit of the electronic devices used in the elections. The audit confirmed that the technologies utilized in Georgia fully comply with local legislation, as well as with recognized international practices and standards.

It is also important to note that the verification and auditing of all stages of voting are guaranteed by Georgia"s electoral legislation, as there is a paper trail at every stage. Additionally, in accordance with the law, the ballots will be counted manually as well, and only after this process will the voting results be determined.

It should be noted that the dispute mentioned in the media reports is ongoing. Regardless of the outcome, it concerns specific individuals and a specific country, as mentioned in the reports, and will have no impact on the upcoming elections.

We want to remind the public that the vendor company in question was selected as the winner of the tender conducted by the procurement agency. This company has extensive experience in modernizing elections across more than 30 countries. Notably, it currently provides technological support for one of the largest electoral districts in the USA, as well as for various provinces in Canada, Belgium, Estonia, Argentina, Australia, Albania, Bulgaria, Armenia, and other nations.

Protecting the integrity of elections through preventing the dissemination of manipulative information is crucial for maintaining the health and stability of democratic systems. Therefore, we urge electoral stakeholders to adopt a responsible approach and refrain from undermining the electoral environment with unfounded accusations and information manipulation. Elections are a common cause, and during this critical process of election modernization, all stakeholders, including the election administration, share a significant responsibility”, - reads the statement.