International election observers held a press conference and presented their findings following the local elections in Georgia. According to Albert Jónsson, Head of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission, Election day proceeded in an orderly and transparent manner, despite some procedural issues, particularly during counting.

“The 2 October local elections were generally well-administered but held against the backdrop of a protracted political crisis and characterized by hardened polarization. Contestants were able to campaign freely in a competitive environment that was, however, marred by wide-spread and consistent allegations of intimidation, vote-buying, pressure on candidates and voters, and an unlevel playing field. The legal framework is generally conducive to democratic elections and preparations for the elections were transparent and professionally managed. The overwhelming focus on national issues and the impact of the elections on national politics overshadowed local issues. The diverse media landscape was highly polarized and provided little analytical reporting and selective coverage, limiting the voters’ ability to make an informed choice, and cases of intimidation and violence against journalists were of concern. Significant imbalance in resources, insufficient oversight of campaign finances and an undue advantage of incumbency further benefited the ruling party. The underrepresentation of women in the campaign demonstrates a need for greater commitment to ensure adequate representation in politics. Election day proceeded in an orderly and transparent manner, despite some procedural issues, particularly during counting, however, the pervasive misuse of citizen observers as party representatives, at times interfering with the process, and groups of individuals potentially influencing voters outside some polling stations were of concern.

The legal framework provides an overall adequate basis for the conduct of democratic elections, if implemented fully. However, it is unnecessarily complex and over-regulates many aspects of the process. The Election Code was last amended in June 2021 in implementation of the 19 April agreement which was aimed at addressing the political deadlock following the 2020 parliamentary elections. The changes introduced partially addressed prior ODIHR and Venice Commission recommendations, including on extending deadlines for electoral dispute resolution and recount procedures, however, others remain unaddressed, including those related to limitations on voting rights, other aspects of electoral dispute resolution, and further measures to counter the misuse of state resources.

Overall, the election administration managed the technical aspects of the process efficiently and complied with legal deadlines, amid adjustments made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CEC sessions were open to stakeholders, and also streamed live for the first time, contributing to transparency. The CEC enjoyed varying degrees of confidence, however, its new pluralistic composition enhanced the level of discussions at its sessions. At the lower level, due to controversies linked to the selection and appointment of PEC members, commissions did not enjoy overall confidence in their impartiality.

Some 3.5 million citizens were registered to vote. Voting rights are subject to a number of restrictions which are at odds with international standards and previous ODIHR recommendations. Authorities made efforts to improve the accuracy of the voter list and election commissions gave voters ample opportunity to verify their information and request corrections. Most interlocutors expressed confidence in the accuracy of the voter lists.

The candidate registration process was inclusive, however, many opposition candidates withdrew from the competition, a number of them reportedly under pressure from the authorities. Voters had a broad choice among 239 mayoral, 2,769 majoritarian, and over 20,000 proportional candidates, nominated by 43 parties and 68 initiative groups. The CEC adopted two decrees narrowing legal conditions and preventing the deregistration of candidates or candidate lists for falling below the required minimum number of candidates or for incomplete documents.

The campaign was subdued but competitive with a range of contestants representing different views, and most prominent in the media and online. It was overall calm, however, cases of violence between individuals and verbal and physical confrontations, as well as aggressive rhetoric particularly on social networks intensified closer to the election day. Allegations of electoral malpractice from both opposition and ruling party, and the focus on whether these elections were a referendum on the government overshadowed local issues. The law prohibits the launching of social and economic projects only after the call of elections and the government has claimed that new projects were adopted before the call. Still the recent announcement of a number of projects by the government is not in line with the spirit of the law and together with the involvement of senior state officials in the campaign gave the ruling party an undue advantage of the incumbency. Wide-spread and consistent allegations of vote-buying, misuse of administrative resources, intimidation and pressure were made, raising concerns about voters’ ability to cast their vote “free of fear of retribution”, at odds with OSCE commitments and international standards“, - said Albert Jonsson.