Opposition Parties Call OSCE/ODIHR Final Report a Foundation for New Elections

In their assessment, the OSCE/ODIHR conclusions and set of recommendations confirmed the illegitimacy of the election results, forming the basis for re-elections.

“In particular, the OSCE/ODIHR conclusions clarify that the organization’s mandate does not include determining the legitimacy of elections. It can only assess the compliance of the election process with international standards. The emphasis on this fact in the document and the organization's raising of the legitimacy issue in this way - given that it typically avoids such terminology - indicates a deficit of legitimacy.

As for the election process itself, which falls under the OSCE/ODIHR mandate, it is assessed as sharply negative, marked by numerous violations, including the breach of such a fundamental principle as the secrecy of the vote.

The OSCE report unequivocally states that there was a lack of trust in the electoral process among voters. This distrust was reflected in the political crisis that followed the elections, the mass protests that were brutally dispersed, and the violation of citizens’ fundamental rights.

Specifically, the report highlights the following violations and negative circumstances:

• Recent legislation, referred to as the so-called Russian law, which negatively impacted fundamental freedoms and civil society;
• The politicization of institutions involved in the electoral process for political purposes;
• Pressure and intimidation of voters, restricting their ability to vote without fear of reprisals on election day;
• Massive violations of the secrecy of the vote, including video recording of the voting process to control voters' will, undermining public trust in the elections;
• Inadequate handling of complaints and limited legal remedies during the post-election period;
• Violent suppression of protests, including arrests and mistreatment of participants;
• Polarization and instrumentalization of the media, which limited voters' ability to make informed choices;
• Ineffective monitoring of political financing and a significant imbalance of resources favoring the ruling party;
• Particular pressure on public officials;
• Ineffective mechanisms for addressing election violations.

The OSCE/ODIHR final assessment of the October 26 elections provides a legitimate and logical basis for fulfilling the demands of the majority of society, the pro-Western democratic opposition, and for calling new elections,” the parties said in a statement.

The OSCE and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published their final report on the observation of the parliamentary elections in Georgia on December 20. It stated that the elections were held against the backdrop of serious concerns regarding the impact of recent legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society, the limitations on the independence of institutions involved in the electoral process, and voter pressure. These issues, combined with election-day practices, endangered the ability of some voters to cast their ballots without fear of reprisals.

“Numerous issues noted in our final report negatively impacted the integrity of these elections and eroded public trust in the process to safeguard the democratic principles currently at stake in Georgia,” said Owen Murphy, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in Georgia.

OSCE/ODIHR calls on the authorities to take concrete action.

The observation mission emphasizes that its mandate is not to recognize or endorse the elections but to “provide a comprehensive and impartial assessment of the electoral process,” which “allows voters to form their own judgment on the quality of the elections.”