In an interview with Globalnews.ge, the Regional Director of the International Republican Institute for Eurasia, Stephen Nix, notes that in light of the government changes, there is an expectation that the elections in Georgia will be held in conditions of good administration and transparency, while the Georgian government will do everything for the country to open EU membership negotiations.

"We know that the new Prime Minister of Georgia. We've known him for many years, worked with him in a number of capacities in his parliamentary role and also in his political party capacity. Now we look forward to working with him and the other government officials. We were very encouraged by his opening statement that under his leadership, the priority for the Georgian Government is EU integration. That's something that we all look forward to and support. So, we are gratified that this is one of his key priorities. I have to say, again, an election that is well-administered and reflects the will of the Georgian people is one of the contingencies for Georgia to move from candidate status with the EU to accession talks. Thus, the expectation on the US part is that the Georgian government, the ruling party, will do everything they can to produce those types of results. Again, an election that is well-administered, transparent, and yields results reflective of the will of the Georgian people", - said the Senior Director for Eurasia at the International Republican Institute. 

When asked what should be done in order for international observers to be sure that the October elections in Georgia will be held in well-administered and transparent conditions, Stephen Nix answers, "This is well reflected in the conditions that Georgia received even before granting the candidate status". 

"Well, those were outlined previously. Many of them are similar to when Georgia was a candidate for candidate status. One of the key provisions then was judicial reform and administrative reform. There are other areas that Georgia was charged with and made progress on, and we hope and support Georgia's continuation of adopting these reforms. Again, IRI polling data indicates that roughly 90% of the Georgian people want their country to be part of the European Union. So it's incumbent upon everyone, including the government, the ruling party, and opposition parties, to work together to ensure that this happens. Because elections are one of the contingencies, a free and fair election is crucial. This is what IRI is working towards as well. We will be sending long-term observers to Georgia in August to observe the campaign. We will have short-term observers on the ground during the week of the election, all with the hope that Georgia achieves this historic step of entering accession talks with the EU. However, for this to happen, the elections must be well-administered. International participation, such as observation, in this election is very important. It demonstrates to the Georgian people that European institutions, American institutions, and Western institutions care about Georgia, care about the Georgian people, and want to ensure that it takes its rightful place in Europe. That's the goal towards which all of our efforts are aimed. The bottom line is that Georgia is a part of Europe and should be a part of the EU. Everything that IRI will do is to help Georgia on that journey to EU status. One of the most consistent data points in the polling we've conducted in Georgia over the last 10 years is the support for EU membership, which has consistently ranged between the low 80% and high. It has remained very consistent throughout the years and in this poll. 83% of Georgians say they want to be part of the European Union. It is incumbent upon the government, policymakers, and Parliament to take action", - stated the Senior Director for Eurasia at the International Republican Institute.