Georgia held local elections on October 4, with the ruling Georgian Dream party securing a sweeping victory in both the proportional and mayoral races across all 64 municipalities, according to the official results from the Central Election Commission.
The vote, which saw a lower turnout of about 41%, took place amid a repressive political and legal climate. Part of the mainstream opposition boycotted the elections, while credible observation was limited. The day also saw a large rally in Tbilisi that drew tens of thousands and later escalated when a group of protesters tried to storm the presidential palace at the organizers’ call. Riot police dispersed the crowd after clashes, and authorities later arrested the organizers on coup-related charges.
Below are the initial international reactions to the October 4 vote, as Georgian Dream remains largely isolated from the country’s traditional partners/
EU’s Kaja Kallas, Marta Kos: “Months of raids on independent media, the passing of laws targeting civil society, the jailing of opponents and activists or amendments to the electoral code favouring the ruling party, drastically reduced the possibility of having competitive elections. A large part of the opposition boycotted these elections, and the turnout was relatively low.
In addition, the refusal by the Georgian authorities to invite international monitors in due time, in particular OSCE/ODIHR, undermined the transparency of the electoral process and prevented credible international monitoring. Domestic organisations also refrained from observing due to the repressive environment.
…We urge calm and restraint in the post-election period and call on the authorities to uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression. A constructive and inclusive dialogue involving all political actors and civil society is essential, and we call on every side to refrain from violence.
Finally, the European Union firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation regarding the EU’s role in Georgia and denounces the personal attacks against the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia.”
Lithuanian Foreign Ministry: “Georgian Dream failed to ensure that yesterday’s local elections meet international standards & that they are recognized as free and fair. Lithuania strongly condemns provocations and violence used against Georgians demanding democracy, rule of law, and a European future of Georgia. We will continue supporting the Georgian struggle. Democracy will win against autocracy. Freedom will prevail against the repression.”
Latvian Foreign Ministry: “Elections in which opposition leaders have been detained, independent media and civil society have been persecuted, and no OSCE/ODIHR international observation ensured can neither be called free nor democratic. Georgian authorities have to free all those arbitrarily detained. We call for calm and restraint and urge Georgian Dream to pursue inclusive dialogue with the citizens of Georgia.”
Estonian Foreign Ministry: “We regret that yesterday’s local elections in Georgia were not an expression of the free will of the Georgian people. We urge the authorities to uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression, and call all sides for calm and restraint.”
Czech Foreign Ministry: “Georgia’s municipal elections are a setback for democracy. The vote lacked freedom and transparency. We call on the authorities to respect rights to freedom of assembly and expression. We urge calm and restraint in the post-election period.”
Norwegian Foreign Ministry: “A sad day for democracy in Georgia. OSCE/ODIHR unable to observe local elections, recommendations unaddressed. Regrettable use of violence. Repressive laws and jailing opposition leaders further undermine trust in Georgia’s elections.
Maria Stenergard, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden: “Sweden reaffirms the right of all Georgians to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in light of the October 4 local elections. Together with Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos, we firmly reject and condemn the disinformation regarding the EU’s role in Georgia.”
Elina Valtonen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland: “Finland joins the EU in calling for calm and restraint, as well as for a constructive and inclusive dialogue in the post-election period in Georgia. The authorities must uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression. I regret that the Georgian authorities did not extend a timely invitation to ODIHR to observe the elections. I look forward to today’s discussions with ODIHR in Warsaw on how we can strengthen the integrity of elections and democracy across OSCE participating States.”
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: “Our allies scored a sweeping victory in Georgia. Patriots from Georgian Dream won the municipal elections by a landslide, bravo! Congrats to Kakha Kaladze on being re-elected Mayor of Tbilisi. Wonder (though not really) when the EU will condemn the opposition’s violence…”
Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Estonian Parliament: “The silence of European leaders only fuels Russia’s aggression. Twenty-four hours after Russia’s latest successful offensive on Georgia’s domestic political front, we hear a deafening silence from the highest levels of the European Union. Just a week ago, Moldova managed to resist an attack, but Russia won’t stop there. The suffocation of Georgia’s pro-European people in the face of Europe’s silence is shameful — and shows that we seemingly lack both the strength and the will to stand up to Russia’s advancing imperialism. It is high time for Europe to present a clear VISION: We will stop the Russian empire, we will liberate the nations that want to be free and part of Europe’s success story — and in doing so, we will give Europe as a whole the hope to shape the future of the world.”
CoE Congress Rapporteurs Bernd Vöhringer, Stewart Dickson: “We deplore the fact that for the first time in decades, the Congress was not invited to observe local elections in Georgia, held on 4 October 2025.
We deeply regret that the Georgian authorities have ignored repeated calls from the Congress to return to democratic election standards and have not implemented the recommendations of the Venice Commission concerning the legal framework for local elections and electoral administration aimed at restoring the conditions necessary for holding free and fair elections. As elected representatives ourselves we know that such conditions can only be guaranteed by the full respect of the right of freedom of expression and freedom of association and by a vibrant civil society as called for by the Human Rights Commissioner and the Parliamentary Assembly.
We therefore urge the authorities to engage in genuine and constructive political dialogue with the opposition and civil society aimed at restoring confidence in the electoral process and strengthening governance at all levels.
The Congress remains committed to supporting Georgia, in any way possible, in fulfilling its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe in safeguarding democracy, human rights and the rule of law at local level.”
OSCE/ODIHR: “The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expresses concern over the violent protests following Georgia’s recent local elections. Amid the rapid deterioration of the democratic and human rights environment in the country, ODIHR urges the Georgian authorities to respect the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and to ensure that civil society can carry out its important work freely and safely…”
European People’s Party: “As the Georgian people continue to fight for their liberties and European future, oligarch Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream (GD) held another sham elections on 4 October with the lowest turnout in Georgia’s history and boycotted by major opposition parties, amid mass repressions and violence against the regime’s opponents…”
Also Read:
- 04/10/2025 – GD Leadership Celebrates Victory as Tensions Flare
- 04/10/2025 – MIA Launches Criminal Probe into Election-Day Unrest
- 04/10/2025 – Polls Open in Georgia’s Partially Boycotted Local Vote