Int'l Observers Issue Preliminary Conclusions

The international observers have presented their preliminary conclusions regarding Georgia’s parliamentary elections, saying they do not have grounds to question the overall integrity of the process. 

The joint post-election statement was released on November 1 as a result of a common endeavor on part of the ODIHR LEOM, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

The joint statement reads: “The elections were competitive and, overall, fundamental freedoms were respected. Nevertheless, pervasive allegations of pressure on voters and blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process”.

“In the limited number of polling stations visited, procedures were mostly followed, however, the excessive presence of party affiliated observer groups, who at times interfered in the process, contributed to overcrowding.”

Observers critically assessed the alleged pressure on voters, intimidating atmosphere outside polling stations, the significantly unequal distribution of registered voters amongst the constituencies, issues with campaign financing, unaddressed ODIHR and CoE recommendations concerning certain areas in need of improvement, and more.

See the full statement here: https://www.oscepa.org/documents/election-observation/election-observation-statements/georgia/statements-11/4097-2020-parliamentary-4/file

Head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission Jillian Stirk today said at a press conference: “The competitive nature of yesterday’s elections was, unfortunately, undermined by the pervasive allegations we heard of the intimidation of voters, both in the lead up to and on election day, and of the blurring of the line between state and party during the campaign”.

Head of the delegation from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) Osman Askin Bak said: “Georgian voters, once again, demonstrated their strong commitment to democracy despite the exceptional challenges posed by the pandemic. We observed a competitive election in which fundamental freedoms were generally upheld and most procedures were followed”.

Noting that the election process was “far from flawless”, Osman Askin Bak said “a number of issues in the implementation created a somewhat uneven playing field and affected public confidence in parts of the process”.