The British Embassy in Georgia has called on the Georgian government to extend an invitation to ODIHR/OSCE to observe the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for October. In a detailed statement, the Embassy emphasized that international and citizen election observation are critical components of democratic transparency, and urged the government to implement all recommendations from ODIHR’s final report on the 2024 parliamentary elections.
“UK-Georgia cooperation is built on a joint commitment to strengthening democratic principles and to supporting the role of civil society,” the statement reads. It also cites the 2019 Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which both governments signed. Article 4 of the agreement commits the UK and Georgia to enhancing democratic institutions, the rule of law, human rights, and judicial reform, while Article 341 specifically pledges support for civil society engagement in bilateral relations.
“The hopes and aspirations of the Georgian people are for democracy and freedom,” the Embassy continued. “We hope that UK-Georgia cooperation, as well as Georgia’s cooperation with European institutions, will further contribute to those goals.”
The British Embassy also defended its ongoing support for Georgian civil society, including voter education and local election monitoring, rejecting recent criticism from the Georgian government. “We reject its current description as funding ‘propaganda and extremism.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” the statement said. “Georgian legislation makes provision for citizen monitoring, which is an important part of professional and transparent scrutiny of elections.”
However, Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi and General Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, dismissed the call for international monitoring. “There is no global practice of inviting OSCE/ODIHR to observe local elections, except in rare cases such as in 2021,” Kaladze said. “There is no need for it today, especially given that the conclusions of these organizations were trampled underfoot.”
By Team GT
