In their report the ODIHR said that they had confirmed earlier claims of ballot box stuffing and other serious violations on election day. Even worse, according to ODIHR, was what happened after the election - including irregularities in the vote count and attacks against opposition candidates who reported problems, including one where an opposition politician had his leg broken by an angry mob. The report even criticized Georgia for actions before the election. Coverage of Saakashvili's government on Georgian television in the months leading up to the vote was overwhelmingly favorable, the one opposition-controlled television station in the country (Imedi TV) was for a time taken off the air, and when it was allowed to broadcast again, it did not cover politics again until after the election.
The final report was far harsher than an initial report issued days after Georgia's presidential election that said despite a few problems, the vote was generally free and fair.
Since the conflict in early August, Georgia has been held up as a bastion of democracy facing off against an oppressive, authoritarian Russia. Any allegations of Saakashvili's own authoritarian tendencies (like problems with the election, or his deploying riot police to break up a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration aimed at his government last December) were swept aside. The ODIHR report though shows that the charges against Saakashvili were based on fact and not smears made by the opposition as he had claimed. It will be interesting to see if this report affects the support for Saakashvili from governments in the United States and Europe.
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