OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has not yet received an invitation from Georgian authorities to observe the upcoming local elections in Georgia, scheduled for October 4.
“We have not received an invitation to observe the upcoming local elections in Georgia so far,” the ODIHR Spokesperson Katya Andrusz told Civil.ge in a written comment received on June 12.
“Ideally, ODIHR received an invitation to observe 4-6 months before election day,” the ODIHR spokesperson said, noting that “it is important to understand that we need time to carry out the full range of activities required for an election observation in line with our well-established methodology, which is based on long-term, impartial, comprehensive, and professional observation.”
OSCE/ODIHR observed the 2021 and 2017 local elections in Georgia with large monitoring missions. Georgian authorities also sent an invitation to OSCE/ODIHR to observe the 2014 municipal elections, but ODIHR said at the time observation was unlikely, citing its financial issues.
Some opposition parties say they will boycott the upcoming local elections in light of ongoing protests and what they describe as the GD government’s repressive actions. All opposition factions continue to boycott parliamentary work, questioning the legitimacy of the Georgian Dream government due to what they claim were rigged parliamentary elections on October 26. However, some of them argue that the local elections present a chance to win key cities and serve as a democratic pushback against GD’s authoritarian course.
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