Irakli Kobakhidze: ISFED Works on Behalf of Forces that Don’t Have Good Intentions Toward Georgia
Georgian Dream PM Irakli Kobakhidze has repeated accusations against the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), stating that it operates on behalf of forces that do not “have good intentions toward Georgia.”
The latest bout of political vitriol comes a day after the Prosecutor’s Office impounded the full documentation of ISFED’s Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) for the disputed October 26’s parliamentary elections, reportedly as a part of an ongoing investigation into “allegations of election fraud.” ISFED confirmed that it cooperates with the authorities.
On February 15, the Prosecutor’s Office stated that the investigation into the alleged election fraud of October 26, 2024 is ongoing. As part of the investigation, the Office said that it explores all statements made by various political parties, the President of Georgia, the Public Defender, the NGOs, monitoring organizations, the media, and all of those who filed a complaint to the Office and indicated potential cases of election fraud.
GD has long accused ISFED, and its donor, USAID, of fabricating observation data in favor of the opposition to foment political unrest. Reiterating those accusations, when speaking to the press during his visit to Uzbekistan, Kobakhidze recalled 2020 parliamentary elections, stating that ISFED’s “only task” was to cast doubt on the results “without any reason or basis.” He added that in 2020 the organization falsified the entire PVT results and claimed that in 2024 elections, ISFED “chose not to publish the unaltered PVT.” GD PM further suggested that the prosecutors should also probe 2020 PVT results, saying “I believe many interesting details could be revealed regarding alleged crimes.”
ISFED has long argued that the repeated claims by GD are vastly inaccurate. Particularly regarding the PVT results from 2024 elections, ISFED clarified that they matched those of the Central Election Commission (CEC) due to the nature of observed falsification, which occurred during the voting process, rather than during the tabulation. PVT is designed to identify discrepancies in the tabulation process. ISFED stated that under the circumstances, PVT results, just as those by CEC can’t be used “as a measure of the validity of the electoral process.”
Whitewashing disputed elections?
“As far as I know (and as expected), the Prosecutor’s Office is preparing to terminate the election fraud case (the decision will be announced soon). To lay the groundwork, today Kobakhidze once again lied, claiming that there is no evidence of fraud,” wrote one of the leaders of opposition party For Georgia, Natia Mezvrishvili. Indeed, Kobakhidze’s pre-empted the prosecution’s conclusion on February 27, saying no fact or evidence exists to prove the October 26’s election fraud.
ISFED along with My Vote and GYLA have issued a joint assessment regarding October 26’s elections, noting that the election results “can not be considered as free and fair.” Their findings highlighted irregularities including massive vote-buying, multiple voting, restricted access for observers, etc. Although adding that “fundamental flaws in pre-election and election day processes impacted voters’ ability to express their free choice.”
The opposition, the NGOs, President Salome Zurabishvili, and a large part of Georgia’s international partners do not recognize the legitimacy of the October 26 elections. Georgian Dream sits in the rump parliament alone, with two pseudo-opposition parties, the European Socialists and the People’s Power, which consist only of former GD MPs.
History of dispute
Since the 2020 parliamentary elections, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) has faced consistent criticism from the ruling GD party. The organization was initially backlashed for the inaccuracies in its Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) results. At the time, Georgian Dream’s chairperson, Irakli Kobakhidze, repeatedly claimed during EU-mediated talks that ISFED’s PVT results were rigged by the opposition. The controversy stemmed from ISFED’s use of outdated software, which followed the Serbian election model and counted invalid ballots, unlike Georgia’s formula. Although ISFED management acknowledged the error in November 2020, they delayed addressing it until after the final audit to exclude further errors. This delay led to the resignation of Elene Nizharadze, ISFED’s Executive Director.
On December 11, 2020, ISFED released revised PVT results, which showed an increase in the Georgian Dream party’s vote share from 45.8% to 47.6%. Despite the revision, the organization continued to express concerns over imbalances in 8% of the summary protocols, labeling the 2020 parliamentary elections as “of the lowest standard” in recent years.
Further tensions arose when Georgian Dream excluded ISFED from the Parliamentary working group on electoral reforms. This move drew criticism from the U.S. Embassy, which argued that it “directly contradicted” the European Commission’s 12 recommendations, emphasizing the need for Georgia to involve civil society in its decision-making processes.
Also Read:
- Live Blog: Georgia’s Disputed October 26 Elections
- 28/11/2024 – Sitting Alone, GD Unanimously Votes in Kobakhidze Cabinet
- 08/11/2024 – ISFED Raises Concerns Over Gender-Based Voter Disparities in CEC’s Election Data
- 19/03/2021 – ISFED Slams Georgian Dream Chair Over Repeated PVT Fraud Allegations
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