Head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia, who is running for Tbilisi mayor in the October 2 municipal elections, says that ‘if almost all international observers say that the elections were held in the full line with the EU and US standards, we will accept the results.’
MEP Marina Kaljurand has stated that Georgian political parties should accept the results of the upcoming municipal elections if the OSCE/ODIHR recognises the legitimacy of the race.
She said that non-accepting the 2020 parliamentary election results by the country’s opposition, which were described as ‘mostly fair’ by OSCE/ODIHR, has caused a long political tension in the country.
Melia says that unlike the 2020 elections, more international observers will monitor the forthcoming race.
89 local and 52 international organisations will observe the elections this year, while the number of international observing organisations stood at 48 in 2020.