On October 27, the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) of the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute presented their preliminary findings on the October 26 electoral process.
NDI’s statement
The preliminary statement from NDI states that while polling stations were generally calm, organized and well-run, “citizens observers reported a significant rise in serious violations compared to the previous elections, including violence, voter harassment and instances of ballot stuffing.”
The statement notes that a fragmented and politicized media environment restricted voters‘ access to neutral information. It also notes that the ruling party had an disproportionate influence over this environment due to its control of state media and privately owned channels.
NDI’s statement states: “The pre-election phase was also compromised by widespread harassment, threats, and in some instances violence, affecting activists, political actors, voters, and their family members.”
The statement notes that “on election day, citizen-observers witnessed widespread violations of neutrality zones around polling stations, by gatherings of ruling-party figures and unauthorized individuals” as well intimidation of voters. Citizen observers reported an increase of critical incidents including violence against voters, observers and party representatives.
“The Georgians have clearly expressed their value for their democratic path. Georgian political actors need to move beyond their winner takes all mentality and commit themselves to pluralism in order to advance this path. Georgia’s governing parties has a special duty in this regard,” said Dr. Tamara Cofman Wittes. “The government must maintain neutrality in politics, allow peaceful demonstrations, and protect all Georgians’ right to participate in the political life.”
The NDI observer mission believes that it is urgent and crucial for Georgian stakeholders, to address electoral integrity deficiencies and rebuild public trust. In its preliminary statement “in the spirit international cooperation”, the organization offers recommendations on how to promote pluralism in elections and include all candidates.
The NDI also stressed: “We’ve seen claims and counterclaims about the election’s result, including legitimate concerns regarding the fairness of overall election process. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, the primary domestic observer group is still working on the detailed report for its parallel vote tabulation. We urge everyone to respect this. We have confidence in the method, which is used in more fifty countries, as well as in the integrity and care that ISFED takes in implementing it.
You can read the full assessment here.
The delegation, which included six long-term and 22 short-term observers, was led by Dr. Tamara Cofman Wittes, NDI President, and Ambassador Per Eklund, a former European Union ambassador to Georgia.
This news will be updated to include IRI’s announcement.
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