Salome Zurabishvili has strongly criticized the decision to participate in upcoming local elections, saying deteriorating political environment and the continued imprisonment of opposition leaders should be enough of a reason not to.
“Announcing and participating in local elections, when the country has 60 or more political prisoners, is somewhat surprising and, to me, even incomprehensible,” Zurabishvili stated during a briefing. “How can one take part in elections while political leaders are in jail? How can we talk about free elections under such circumstances?”
She warned that the country’s democratic institutions, especially those essential for fair elections, are in decline. As Zurabishvili stated, the Central Election Commission remains unchanged since the 2024 parliamentary vote, while the legal framework and overall political climate have worsened. “Observer rights have been further limited,” she noted, adding that international monitors rarely observe local elections and the diaspora is excluded entirely.
Zurabishvili also expressed concern over the judiciary’s role in election disputes. “No one can have any trust in them. A judiciary like this is incapable of fairly ruling on any election-related disputes for any party. If someone believes otherwise, we must at least talk about naivety.”
She also touched upon media freedom in the country. “The space for media operations is gradually shrinking. A complaint has been submitted to the regulatory commission, which essentially introduces new censorship,” she said. “Freedom of assembly practically does not exist. Walking down Rustaveli Avenue has become quite an expensive activity.”
To conclude, Zurabishvili questioned the logic behind participating in elections that, in her view, are neither free nor fair. “If someone still hopes that participation in the local elections will achieve anything, I just don’t see it. Maybe there’s something I don’t know.”
