OSCE: Elections Fell Short of International Standards

The news release issued by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on November 3 reads that the November 2 parliamentary elections in Georgia fell short of a number of international standards.

“Delays and confusion over voter lists contributed to a lack of public confidence in the governmental and parliamentary authorities’ capacity to manage an effective and transparent election process,” concluded the International Election Observation Mission in a statement issued today.

Some 450 international observers from 43 countries monitored the polls in one of the larger and longer election observation missions deployed.

“These elections have, regrettably, been insufficient to enhance the credibility of either the electoral or the democratic process,” said Bruce George, Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, leading the Short-Term Observation Mission.

“We believe that the people of this country are entitled to a better-run election system and protection of the right to vote, as sadly was not apparent yesterday. Urgent attention must be paid to training presiding election officials and addressing shortcomings in the system,” added Tom Cox, Head of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Delegation.

The statement reads that the deployment of security forces in four districts and numbers of unauthorized persons in polling stations added to a notion of interference in the election process.

The International Election Observation Mission recognised improvements, including the new Unified Electoral Code which provides an adequate framework for holding democratic elections if implemented impartially, and the increased transparency of the work of the Central Election Commission.

See the full text of the preliminary statement of the International Election Observation Mission.