It is unfortunate that the OSCE is not observing the elections – there were speculations about a lack of time, yet we see that in other countries, they observe elections within short timeframes, stated Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), during a briefing.
According to him, municipal elections generally receive less attention from international observer organizations.
Kalandarishvili emphasized that “it is important, if we want the OSCE/ODIHR to be present in our country, to respect its conclusions.”
“Throughout the pre-election period, we have heard speculations on this issue – who will observe, who will be present, who won’t, and so on. In our society, people often talk about the example of Moldova, and if we talk about Moldova, their elections were observed by three local observer organizations, whereas our elections will be monitored by 27 local observer organizations. Of course, the more the better, but the key here is the qualitative aspect. It’s possible that an organization observing the elections could later issue assessments that are so damaging to the electoral environment that they negatively impact the entire electoral process. What matters is the quality and their objectivity and impartiality. As for the international component – I will repeat, 28 [international organizations will observe the elections in Georgia]. These delegates are in the country, and as I mentioned earlier, I will have meetings throughout the day today to go over the full preparations in detail.
Regarding the OSCE, we have heard numerous speculations – it is unfortunate that they are not observing. There were speculations that it was due to a lack of time, but we see that in other countries, they manage to observe elections within short timeframes.
No one can say that any local or international organization applied within the legally established deadlines and we created any barriers to prevent their participation in the elections. On the contrary, we welcome, have welcomed, and will continue to welcome their participation,” Kalandarishvili stated.
In response to a journalist’s remark that “authoritative organizations” such as ISFED, GYLA, and Transparency International will not observe the elections, Kalandarishvili said that each organization individually decides whether or not to observe the elections.
He noted that throughout this period, the CEC has called on organizations to register in a timely manner and expressed readiness to cooperate, so Kalandarishvili stated that “in this regard, we cannot accept any criticism.”
“Who is authoritative and who is less authoritative is a separate matter for evaluation. For you, some organizations may seem authoritative, while for society or for me, certain organizations may not be considered authoritative. The elections are being observed by ‘Multicolored Georgia’ and 26 other organizations. By making such assessments, you are insulting these organizations. I would request that we refrain from such evaluations. We do not register organizations based on their perceived authority. We register organizations based on their compliance with the law. Did any of the organizations you mentioned apply to us? They would have been registered without any issues, especially since they would not have faced any problems with registration.
In both local and international cases, each organization individually decides what they will observe, why they will observe, or why they will not observe. Therefore, the CEC has made no efforts in this regard other than reminding everyone of the deadlines throughout this period, calling for timely registration, and expressing readiness to cooperate and exchange information. For this reason, we cannot accept any criticism in this regard,” Kalandarishvili stated.
Giorgi Kalandarishvili: It is unfortunate that the OSCE is not observing the elections – there were speculations about a lack of time, yet we see that in other countries, they observe elections within short timeframes
