Central Election Commission welcomes involvement of int’l observer organisations in October elections

The Georgian Central Election Commission on Thursday said it welcomed the involvement of international observer organisations in the general elections set for October in the country.

The body said it was “actively” preparing for the parliamentary elections, which will be held using electronic voting for the first time in the country, in accordance with international and European standards.

In order to ensure the quality of the integrity and transparency of the election process, the involvement of observation missions in the mentioned process has an important role and at the same time it is a kind of preventive mechanism”, the statement said.

The election administration said it welcomed the arrival of “reputable, neutral and objective” observers and declared its “full readiness to work closely” with them in the format of “constructive cooperation” and provide missions with “operational, verified and complete” information.

Ilia Darchiashvili, the Georgian Foreign Minister, on Wednesday pledged his Government's commitment to conducting “transparent and competitive” general elections after sending an official invitation to observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.