Municipal Elections, 5 October 2006

In response to an invitation from Georgia's Foreign Ministry, ODIHR deployed a limited election observation mission on 8 September to observe the municipal elections on 5 October.

Headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens of Germany, the mission included a core team of nine international experts based in Tbilisi, as well as 19 long-term observers deployed to eight locations throughout the country.

According to the mission's final report: "The 5 October municipal elections were called by a Presidential Decree with the shortest possible legal margin and earlier than prior indications, which placed considerable constraints on election stakeholders. This was further compounded by limited dialogue between the governing party and the opposition.

Fundamental civil and political rights were generally respected. However, the conduct of highly visible social aid programs conducted in parallel to the election campaign, including issuing of utility vouchers, payment of pension bonuses and implementation of temporary employment schemes, blurred the distinction between State activities and the electoral
campaign. This considerably reinforced the advantages of incumbency and created a widespread perception of a lack of clear separation between party and State, contrary to paragraph 5.4 of the 1990 Copenhagen Document."

Members of the core team

Head of Mission:  Amb. Geert Ahrens (Germany)
Deputy Head of Mission: Harald Jepsen (Denmark)
Political Analyst: Laurent Marion (France)
Election Analyst: Danko Cosic (Serbia)
Legal Analyst: Elissavet Karagiannidou (Greece)
Media Analyst: Ivan Godarsky (Slovakia)
LTO Co-ordinator: Monique Nobs (Switzerland)
Logistics Officer: Jane Kareski (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Logistics Officer: Ireneusz Stepinski (Poland)
Finance Officer: Bartek Lipinski (Poland)
Finance Officer: Angela Ghilascu (Moldova)