MP links OSCE/ODIHR’s refusal to observe Georgia’s elections to global pressure

Eka Sepashvili, a member of Georgia’s parliament from the People’s Power party, has claimed that the refusal of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the upcoming local elections in the country is connected to global processes directed against Georgia.

“The refusal of the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local elections in Georgia is linked to global processes directed against our country, since in the event of a positive conclusion, the organisation would once again become a target for attacks,” Sepashvili said, according to Caliber.Az, citing Georgian media.

On September 6, the Georgian authorities extended an invitation to the OSCE/ODIHR to monitor the elections. However, the organisation declined, stating that the invitation had been sent too late for a mission to be deployed.

Sepashvili insisted that the real reasons lay deeper. “The real reason why the OSCE/ODIHR did not come to Georgia to observe the local elections should be sought in the depths of the global conspiracy that has recently been implemented against our country,” she argued.

She added that Georgia had made a new effort to invite the ODIHR mission. “We decided to invite the OSCE/ODIHR to the local elections again, but at this stage they preferred not to come because if they did, they would have to write another positive report, which would make them the target of new attacks by radicals,” Sepashvili said. According to her, with this decision, the OSCE/ODIHR has effectively “washed its hands” of the matter.

At the same time, Sepashvili underlined that other international observers already registered with the Central Election Commission (CEC) would monitor the elections, and that new observers would also join, whose assessments would “carry weight.”

The local government elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 4, 2025. They will be held simultaneously in 64 cities and districts across the country, with the CEC opening 3,051 polling stations. Twelve of the fourteen registered political parties will participate, after two failed to nominate candidates for the majority deputies and mayors, leading to their registration being annulled.

So far, 16 international organisations have been accredited by the CEC to observe the elections, including electoral commissions from Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovakia, Armenia, and the Fiji Electoral Bureau. Five of these organisations were added at the CEC meeting on September 8.

Voters who are unable to attend polling stations in person due to health reasons must apply to their district election commission by September 23 and are advised to request the use of a portable ballot box.

By Tamilla Hasanova