Georgian PM invites OSCE/ODIHR to observe upcoming local self-government elections

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday announced his Government’s decision to invite the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the upcoming local self-government elections scheduled for October 4, with a formal letter already sent to the organisation.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to ensuring all necessary conditions for comprehensive election monitoring, despite concerns about external pressures on the mission.

“We have made the decision to invite the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local self-government elections, and a corresponding letter has already been sent to OSCE/ODIHR”, the PM said.

The PM noted that the candidate registration deadline for the elections, which passed on September 4, revealed a split in the opposition.

“The deadline for registering candidates for the local self-government elections expired the day before yesterday, and it has become clear that two parties in the radical opposition - the United National Movement and Akhali - are boycotting the elections and, moreover, declaring participation in the elections as betrayal. Meanwhile, two parties - Lelo and For Georgia - are participating in the elections. These two parties managed to nominate mayoral candidates in 37 out of 64 electoral districts”, he noted.

He criticised the radical opposition and their foreign supporters for disrespecting OSCE/ODIHR’s 2024 parliamentary election conclusions, which he claimed became a target of attacks from European and former American bureaucrats.

“As you know, the issue of inviting the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local self-government elections remains on the agenda. Over the past few weeks, we have stated that we would immediately invite the OSCE/ODIHR mission if the radical opposition and their foreign patrons demonstrated respect, even now, for the conclusions published by OSCE/ODIHR regarding the 2024 parliamentary elections. Everyone remembers that due to those conclusions, OSCE/ODIHR became the target of repeated attacks by the radical opposition and their foreign patrons. This included gross disrespect toward last year’s OSCE/ODIHR conclusions expressed by European and former American bureaucrats”, he said.

Kobakhidze warned that the OSCE/ODIHR mission is likely to face significant pressure this year, even more than in 2024, due to the opposition’s stance and external influences.

“Unfortunately, this is the current face of European bureaucracy. They only recognise the rule of law and democracy when their favoured force - in Georgia’s case, the collective National Movement - wins the elections. In other cases, democracy and the will of the people become the target of their aggressive attacks, as we saw in the case of the 2024 parliamentary elections. Given this approach by the European bureaucracy, it is expected that even heavier pressure will be exerted on the OSCE/ODIHR mission this year compared to what we witnessed last year. Accordingly, we understand that by inviting OSCE/ODIHR to Georgia, we are placing them in front of a serious challenge”, he continued.

Despite these challenges, Kobakhidze emphasised the Government’s proactive decision to invite OSCE/ODIHR.

“However, despite all the aforementioned circumstances, including the fact that the radical opposition and their patrons did not express respect for OSCE/ODIHR’s conclusions from last year even after our call, to ensure there are no questions regarding the elections, we have made the decision to invite the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local self-government elections, and a corresponding letter has already been sent to OSCE/ODIHR. We hope that, despite repeated insults and pressure, OSCE/ODIHR will not refrain from sending an observation mission to Georgia. The Georgian government confirms its full readiness to provide all conditions for the OSCE/ODIHR mission to conduct comprehensive election observation, as per tradition”, he concluded.