OSCE recognizes legitimacy of Georgian elections despite isolated violations PM Kobakhidze says

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has confirmed that the elections held in Georgia on October 26 were recognized by the OSCE/ODIHR, despite noting some isolated violations.

The parliamentary elections led to the formation of the XI convocation of the Georgian Parliament, which began its term on November 25. However, the Central Election Commission’s results did not acknowledge the four opposition forces that entered parliament, Caliber.Az reports citing Georgian media.

Kobakhidze emphasized the importance of both the OSCE/ODIHR’s recognition and the broader support from Georgian society. "The OSCE/ODIHR recognizes the elections as well as Georgian society. This is the main thing. The first one who gives the elections legitimacy is the Georgian people. You see that the Georgian people recognize the legitimacy of the elections," he stated.

Regarding election violations, the Prime Minister remarked that the OSCE/ODIHR had only recorded "isolated incidents" of concern. He further explained, "The OSCE/ODIHR reports that both sides provided information on isolated violent incidents, i.e., only isolated incidents. As in the case of any country, criticisms, including on issues related to the secrecy of the vote, are also presented in the conclusions. The OSCE/ODIHR did not identify any violations in 76 per cent of polling stations observed."

Kobakhidze also referred to the OSCE/ODIHR's conclusion that the elections were both free and competitive, asserting that this was clear from the overall findings. "It follows from the OSCE/ODIHR conclusion that the elections were free and competitive. This can be understood from the general content of the conclusion," he said.

To further back his claims, the Prime Minister cited survey results that assessed the fairness of the parliamentary elections. According to the survey, 53.4 per cent of respondents viewed the elections positively. The survey indicated that 45.5 per cent of respondents believed the elections were held "fairly," while 7.9 per cent noted "minor violations." A smaller percentage, 4.4 percent, considered the elections "unfair," and 19.6 per cent gave a negative response. The remaining 22.6 per cent were uncertain.

The final results of the Central Election Commission confirmed that the ruling Georgian Dream party secured 89 seats, while opposition groups such as the Coalition for Change (Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom, and Droa) garnered 19 seats. The Unity – National Movement (United National Movement, Agmashenebeli Strategy, European Georgia) won 16 seats, Strong Georgia, an alliance of Lelo for Georgia, For People, Citizens, and Freedom Square earned 14, and the For Georgia party secured 12 seats.

By Vafa Guliyeva