OSCE/ODIHR presents recommendations from final report on October parliamentary elections in Georgia

A team from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Tbilisi from 29 to 31 January 2013 to present the final report of the election observation mission for the 1 October 2012 parliamentary elections in Georgia.

The report’s findings were discussed at a roundtable meeting in Tbilisi jointly organized by ODIHR and the United Nations Development Programme, with support from the European Union. The event brought together representatives from the Georgian authorities, political parties and international and local organizations, as well as from the diplomatic community.

The ODIHR team also met separately with representatives of state authorities, political parties, and other electoral stakeholders to discuss the report’s recommendations aimed at ensuring that election-related legislation and practice are more in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards.

The report’s recommendations focus on improving the legal framework for elections and implementing provisions regulating party and campaign finance, ensuring balanced news coverage during elections and addressing issues related to voter registration.

All OSCE participating States have made a commitment to promptly follow up on ODIHR election assessments and recommendations.

During the meetings in Tbilisi, the ODIHR team suggested that only those recommendations of a more technical and administrative nature should be implemented ahead of the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for October. Broader and more comprehensive recommendations were discussed, but the team stressed that implementation of these could be left until after October, to allow sufficient time before the next elections.

ODIHR representatives also raised the possibility of providing assistance to Georgian authorities in the implementation of the report’s recommendations, upon their request.