Limited observation

Citing the current political reality, including a hostile legislative environment toward civil society, major Georgian monitoring organisations such as the International Society for Fair Elections And Democracy (ISFED) and Transparency International (TI) Georgia will not deploy observation missions. The Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) also stated it will not monitor the 2025 vote through its traditional mission.

Citing fairness concerns, Georgian election watchdog won’t observe 2025 vote

ISFED’s report discusses the backsliding of democracy in Georgia and the diminishing ability to observe elections.

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia

Georgian media watchdog won’t monitor 2025 vote due to restrictive laws and lack of funding

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics has conducted election media monitoring since 2012.

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia

Meanwhile, the OSCE/ODIHR announced that, following a late invitation from Georgian Dream, it too will not send observers.

OSCE says late invitation to Georgia’s local elections ‘makes meaningful observation impossible’

The invitation was sent in early September, less than a month ahead of election day on 4 October.

OC MediaXandie (Alexandra) Kuenning

According to RFE/RL, this year’s elections will be monitored by only 81 international observers, compared to over 1,000 for the 2021 local elections.

As a result, concerns over the fairness of the elections — already heightened after the disputed 2024 parliamentary vote — have been compounded by the limited presence of election monitors.