The Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) has responded to a statement issued by the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE).
As noted in the CEC’s statement, EPDE’s characterisation of certain international observers present in Georgia for the October 4 local government elections as “fake observers” is insulting, baseless, and aimed at discrediting them.
“The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia has reviewed the statement issued by the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), according to which the organisation has deemed certain international observers present in Georgia for the October 4, 2025, local government elections to be ‘fake observers’, including representatives of election administrations from various countries and a vendor organisation.
This assessment is unequivocally insulting, baseless, and aimed at discrediting both Georgia’s election administration and those international observers who were monitoring the elections at the CEC’s official invitation, in full compliance with procedures established by Georgian legislation and international practice.
The Central Election Commission declares that: all foreign observers present in Georgia for the 2025 local elections were registered in accordance with requirements set forth in electoral legislation; their invitation and presence in Georgia was based on international standards and good practice established over many years, which presupposes professional cooperation and the sharing of experience; the aforementioned individuals did not conduct political or lobbying activities, and their participation was entirely aimed at the professional assessment of the electoral process, should they wish to provide one.
Accordingly, EPDE’s use of the term ‘fake observer’ in reference to them constitutes a gross violation of the principle of objectivity, damages the reputation of Georgia’s election administration, and undermines the authority of the relevant institutions of those countries whose representatives participated in this process,” the statement reads.
Furthermore, the CEC urges EPDE to publicly clarify the sources and evidence on which these assessments are based.
“We remind the public that good international experience and practice do not require the examination of any given individual’s profession, education, activities, or electoral experience when registering as an observer, nor does it establish special professional requirements or qualifications. Despite this, certain interested parties have manipulated this issue in relation to various observers. We categorically state that representatives of election administrations from various countries, as well as other organisations, were registered as international observers for the October 4, 2025, elections in accordance with requirements established by legislation.
At the same time, it is curious why EPDE refers to official representatives of constitutional bodies, election administrations, and a vendor company, as ‘fake observers’, when none of their statements, apart from procedural and technical assessments, contained any political views or even hints thereof. Moreover, some of the individuals mentioned in the organisation’s report made no statements whatsoever within the framework of their observation mission. It appears that these individuals were referred to as ‘fake observers’ solely and exclusively because they were present in the country as international observers monitoring the elections. Furthermore, it remains unclear on what grounds and with what evidence the attention was focused on just a select few out of nearly 40 delegates from election administrations representing over 20 countries visiting the country.
Furthermore, it is crucial that the representatives of legislative bodies, as well as various institutions and organisations from different countries, observe the October 4 elections. Each observer carried out their activities within the framework established by legislation, and it was their right to make assessments or statements in this context. Therefore, dismissing them as ‘fake observers’ simply because of their comments, whether positive or critical, is entirely unfounded. Such accusations can be seen as an attempt to discredit these individuals and the electoral process as a whole, as well as an effort to exert pressure on those involved.
The election administration considers that all of the above represent an attempt to overshadow the successfully conducted elections in Georgia on October 4 and to discredit them at both local and international levels, which is categorically unacceptable and alarming, all the more so from an organisation that was not registered as an observer for these elections whatsoever.
It should also be noted that one of EPDE’s member organisations is ISFED, an organisation that has manipulated the presentation of the results of the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) for the 2020 elections to the public. It was precisely as a result of this fact that ISFED’s then-director was dismissed, and according to available information, is now active within EPDE. Despite this precedent, problems with the reliability of parallel vote tabulation results were once again recorded during the 2024 elections. This time, information was disseminated suggesting that the data matched the CEC’s official results, though the results themselves were never published. Naturally, these circumstances raise questions about EPDE’s objectivity and impartiality,” the CEC’s statement reads.
