GD Extends Last Minute Invitation to OSCE/ODIHR Election Observers

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on September 6 that the ruling party has extended an invitation to the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the upcoming October 4 local elections, after months of refusing to do so.

The invitation came one month before the vote slated for October 4. OSCE/ODIHR stated in June that it typically receives such requests four to six months before election day to carry out the necessary observation activities.

“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 to OSCE/ODIHR,” Kobakhidze said at a Saturday press briefing. In June, Kobakhidze said it would be “unnecessary” to “burden” the ODIHR mission with Georgia’s local elections, vowing the vote would be held in an “absolutely healthy manner.” In July, ODIHR regretted what it called the Georgian authorities’ “stated intention” not to invite the mission.

Kobakhidze explained that “we saw that two parties are taking place in elections, and they managed to nominate mayoral candidates in more than half [of precincts], so overall, the elections will take place in a competitive environment. Having this full picture was important in taking the final decision.” He was referring to two opposition parties – Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia and Mamuka Khazaradze’s Lelo, with affiliated groups – deciding to break the initial opposition boycott.

Controversial Context

Georgia’s upcoming local elections will be half-boycotted, as the opposition cites ongoing protests and state repression in its belief that participating would normalize Georgian Dream’s rule. It also pointed to changes in electoral legislation, which critics warn tilt the vote toward the ruling party, making a contest unfair and doomed to fail for the opposition. Eight parties have campaigned for boycotting the elections.

Prominent local election monitor ISFED earlier said it would not deploy its “standard” monitoring mission for the elections, citing “largely unmet” conditions for a free, fair, and competitive vote, while noting it would continue to assess relevant pre-election developments.

Two major opposition parties — Lelo/Strong Georgia and ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia — are among the 14 participating. They say they want to challenge the ruling government in major cities, including Tbilisi, where Georgian Dream’s support is relatively low. 

The statement came one day after the GD-elected president Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned two jailed leaders – Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze – of the participating opposition alliance Lelo/Strong Georgia.

Kobakhidze said the ruling party would have “immediately” invited the ODIHR mission if, as he put it, the “radical opposition and its foreign patrons” would “now affirm respect” for ODIHR’s final report on Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections. GD points to the phrase in the report that the elections were “well-administered,” while ignoring serious concerns over election manipulation by civil society, election institutions, which ODIHR also echoed.

“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,” Kobakhidze said, adding that “European and former American bureaucrats” also showed “gross disrespect” toward the report.

“Considering such an attitude from the European bureaucracy, it is expected that this year, even more pressure will be put on the OSCE/ODIHR mission than we witnessed last year. Accordingly, we understand that by inviting them to Georgia, we put OSCE/ODIHR in a serious challenge,” Kobakhidze said, adding that despite everything, the invitation was extended to “leave no questions.”

“We hope that despite multiple insults and pressure, OSCE/ODIHR will not abstain from sending the observation mission to Georgia,” he added.  “The Georgian government reaffirms its full readiness to create all conditions, as usual, for OSCE/ODIHR to conduct comprehensive election monitoring.”

Can observation still happen?

Critics say the invitation is late. “If there were political will, the invitation would have been sent much earlier, as in previous elections,” local election monitor ISFED head Levan Natroshvili wrote on Facebook. Indeed, it would be too late for the OSCE/ODIHR to dispatch the long-term observer (LTO) team. However, a short-term observer mission, complemented by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, remains a possibility.

When asked by a journalist from the pro-government TV channel Imedi whether the invitation was late, Kobakhidze said that the four weeks remaining before the vote provide “all the necessary time for the OSCE/ODIHR to staff its mission” and observe the elections. He added that “until now, the processes were developing in a peaceful environment” and that “the pre-election campaign started, in reality, two weeks ago,” claiming, “Accordingly, there was not much to observe until now.”

(Civil.ge has approached OSCE/ODIHR for comment, and will amend this report after the response is received)

Also Read:

• 05/09/2025 – Khazaradze, Japaridze Say Kavelashvili’s Pardon ‘Manipulation’ as They Leave Prison
• 26/08/2025 – Georgian Dream, Lelo/Gakharia’s Tbilisi Majoritarian Candidates for October 4 Local Vote
• 30/07/2025 – Georgian Dream Picks Kakha Kaladze to Seek Third Term as Tbilisi Mayor
• 18/06/2025 – British Embassy Rejects GD’s Accusations of Funding ‘Propaganda and Extremism,’ Urges Invitation of ODIHR Observers
• 17/06/2025 – Treason or Opportunity – Opposition Squabbles over Municipal Elections