According to the assessment of “Fair Elections,” the possibility of holding the local self-government elections scheduled for October 4 in Georgia in a free, fair, and competitive environment is significantly restricted.
As the Executive Director of “Fair Elections,” Levan Natroshvili, stated at a briefing, the organization has prepared a report assessing the environment ahead of the municipal elections in Georgia.
“For us, an important guideline for this report was the European Union’s demand for Georgia, as a candidate country for accession to this union, that the country must hold free, fair, and competitive elections. In the opinion of ‘Fair Elections,’ the three conditions of the Venice Commission regarding electoral standards—which include respect for fundamental rights, stability of electoral legislation, and the existence of procedural safeguards—are largely not observed in the country. Therefore, the possibility of holding free, fair, and competitive elections is significantly restricted. Consequently, ‘Fair Elections’ will not observe the municipal elections with a standard observation mission and methodology, however, the organization continues monitoring the ongoing political, including electoral, processes and providing periodic assessments,” said Natroshvili.
According to him, the 2024 elections left many questions regarding the recognition of their results, both inside the country and abroad.
“The political and governmental crisis that began then is still ongoing today. As you know, the majority of opposition parties did not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections. They continue to refuse participation in parliamentary activities, which means that in practice, the parliament currently functioning is composed solely of ‘Georgian Dream.’ This was the starting point of the political crisis and the difficult political context we face today,” Natroshvili said.
He also noted that the arrest of opposition politicians and the initiation of criminal prosecutions against participants in protest rallies constitute a very significant issue for the electoral environment.
According to Levan Natroshvili, the situation is further worsened by the fact that the government is pursuing a repressive policy not only against opposition politicians and activists but also against non-governmental organizations and the media.
“The background that has been created today in the country in terms of the protection of human rights and the quality of democratic standards demonstrates a serious regression in this direction. If we look at any credible rating, for example, the latest report by Freedom House, Georgia has lost its status of electoral democracy, which means that the minimum standards important for the electoral process are no longer safeguarded in the country. The same applies to the repressive policies we have witnessed and continue to see from ‘Georgian Dream,’” said Levan Natroshvili.
Levan Natroshvili: “Fair Elections” will not observe the municipal elections with a standard observation mission and methodology, however, we continue to monitor the ongoing political processes, including the electoral ones
