Georgian Dream Invites OSCE/ODIHR to Monitor October 4 Elections After Months of Resistance
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, September 8, 2025
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on September 6 that the ruling party has invited the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the upcoming October 4 local elections. The move follows months of government reluctance to extend such an invitation.
"To leave no question about the elections, we have decided to invite the OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local self-government elections, and the letter has already been sent," Kobakhidze said at a Saturday press briefing.
ODIHR had previously noted that it usually requires four to six months' notice to prepare its observation activities. The late timing means a long-term observer team cannot be deployed, though a short-term mission supported by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is still possible.
Kobakhidze argued that the decision was influenced by the participation of two opposition parties that had initially considered boycotting the vote. "We saw that two parties are taking place in elections, and they managed to nominate mayoral candidates in more than half of the precincts, so overall, the elections will take place in a competitive environment. Having this full picture was important in taking the final decision," he said, referring to Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia and Mamuka Khazaradze's Lelo.
The invitation comes amid a contentious political climate. Several opposition groups continue to boycott the elections, citing repression, protests, and legislative changes that they argue favor the ruling party. Local watchdog ISFED announced it would not deploy its full monitoring mission, saying conditions for a free and fair vote remained "largely unmet."
Kobakhidze also used the announcement to criticize opposition parties and Western officials over their handling of ODIHR's report on Georgia's 2024 parliamentary elections.
"You all remember that because of this report, OSCE/ODIHR many times became the object of attack from the radical opposition and their foreign patrons," he said, adding that "European and former American bureaucrats" had shown "gross disrespect" for the findings.
Despite his criticism, Kobakhidze insisted the government is committed to facilitating observation.
"We hope that despite multiple insults and pressure, OSCE/ODIHR will not abstain from sending the observation mission to Georgia. The Georgian government reaffirms its full readiness to create all conditions, as usual, for OSCE/ODIHR to conduct comprehensive election monitoring."
ISFED director Levan Natroshvili questioned the government's timing. "If there were political will, the invitation would have been sent much earlier, as in previous elections," he wrote on Facebook.
Kobakhidze dismissed concerns, saying the remaining four weeks before the vote allow sufficient time for ODIHR to organize its mission. "Until now, the processes were developing in a peaceful environment," he said. "The pre-election campaign started, in reality, two weeks ago. Accordingly, there was not much to observe until now."
