This is an important thing, we were also working on this, however, this is an issue that requires a letter from the de facto government, therefore our work was not and could not be sufficient in this regard, – this is how Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of Strong Georgia, responded to the statement of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze regarding the invitation of the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local elections.
As Gegelia explains, they will be in coordination with all international missions.
“The presence of international observers at the elections is very important. Naturally, we called these elections the so-called elections, de facto elections and we continue to call them that, because it is clear to us that the idea and practice of elections in Georgia have been weakened, damaged. Unfortunately, there is very low public trust in the election process and, of course, the responsibility for this lies with the Georgian Dream regime. At the same time, we believe that we must use all tools of the struggle and we welcome the fact that the relevant OSCE/ODIHR observers will apparently be present in Georgia. This is an important thing, we have been working on this as well, however, this is an issue that requires a letter from the de facto authorities, therefore our work was not and could not be sufficient in this regard, although the OSCE/ODIHR and all other missions know that we would like them to be here. We welcome their arrival and, of course, we will be in full coordination with all the missions that will be here,” said Gegelia.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated at the briefing at the government administration today that a decision was made to invite the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local self-government elections, in connection with which a relevant letter has already been sent to the OSCE/ODIHR.
Grigol Gegelia: We welcome the fact that OSCE/ODIHR observers will be present in Georgia – we will be in full coordination with all the missions that will be here
