COPENHAGEN, 17 October 2024 – A team of over 60 parliamentarians and staff from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will deploy to Georgia to observe the 26 October parliamentary elections.
The OSCE PA team will work closely with the ODIHR Election Observation Mission, as well as with partner delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the European Parliament.
Pascal Allizard (France) will serve as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, following an appointment by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg.
“These elections will be the first held under a fully proportional system, in a highly polarized political climate with ongoing tensions, making this election particularly significant,” said Allizard. “We are looking forward to observing a competitive election next week, in line with international standards.”
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“Our large delegation is a clear signal of the great interest of the international community in Georgia’s upcoming elections,” said Pia Kauma (Finland), President of the OSCE PA, who serves as Head of the OSCE PA’s delegation. “We are committed to providing a thorough and unbiased assessment of the electoral process. Our focus will be on ensuring that the elections are conducted transparently and that the results reflect the democratic will of the Georgian people.”
Observers will be thoroughly briefed by representatives of the election administration, civil society, candidates, party representatives, and experts on the situation ahead of elections, before fanning out to several regions of Georgia for election day observation.
The elections will be assessed against democratic commitments outlined in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document and the findings of the election observation mission will be presented at a press conference in Tbilisi on 27 October.
The OSCE PA has observed elections in Georgia since 1995, most recently the 2020 parliamentary elections. For previous OSCE PA assessments of Georgian elections, please click here.
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly