Georgia’s ruling party accuses OSCE of politicizing election observation

Gia Volski, First Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, senior Georgian Dream party official, has sharply criticized the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for its decision to cancel its election observation mission ahead of Georgia’s upcoming local elections, implying that political motives may be behind the move.

Volski suggested that the absence of international observers could be intentional, claiming that some actors might find it inconvenient if European-level observers were present and subsequently issued a positive assessment of the electoral process, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

"Perhaps it is not in someone's interest to have normal European-level observers in the country at the invitation of the state, as this could create the conditions for another positive conclusion about the elections to be published," Volski said in a statement.

On September 6, the Georgian government formally invited the ODIHR to observe the upcoming local elections. However, the organisation declined the request, stating that the invitation had been sent too late — less than a month before the vote — thereby preventing it from assembling a fully operational mission in time.

In a public statement, ODIHR noted that effective and credible election monitoring requires sufficient lead time, logistical planning, and access to all key phases of the electoral process. Without this, the organisation argued, it would be unable to ensure a reliable and objective assessment.

Volski, however, questioned the timing and implications of the refusal, referencing past OSCE observation missions that concluded positively on Georgia's elections — including the last parliamentary elections — which, he claimed, were met with unprecedented backlash.

"History does not remember such pressure and bullying since the OSCE/ODIHR observed the (parliamentary) elections in Georgia and issued a positive conclusion," Volski stated. "There are assumptions here that they were trying to avoid precisely such a possible escalation of the situation."

By Vafa Guliyeva