The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) called on all interested stakeholders to refrain from ungrounded and evidence-lacking allegations and avoid using disinformation as a political weapon.

The CEC said in its statement that with the municipal elections drawing closer, the attempts to discredit the election administration and the election process had become frequent and intensive.

“Eight months passed after the 2024 parliamentary elections, but during this time, nobody presented concrete evidence which could confirm accusations of certain political entities over allegedly rigged elections. Nobody managed to substantiate facts. However, when the participation of political parties in the local elections is on the agenda, some parties activated the campaign, alleging that the elections were held with violations and the participation loses sense.

We emphasize that the election administration is not interested in who will or will not run in the elections. The Administration has worked non-stop since the beginning of the year to hold municipal elections, likewise past elections, at a highly professional level in compliance with all standards. This is our direct responsibility and commitment, and we will not allow anybody to damage the process with political speculations.

We acknowledge that political parties follow their agenda and have the right to fight for their political goals and participate in public discussion. However, affirmative statements as if elections were rigged, saying ‘they will write whatever they want,’ are unacceptable,” the statement reads.

The CEC deems the opposition’s accusations as politically motivated, aimed at discrediting the election administration’s activities.

“Once again, we call on all interested stakeholders to refrain from ungrounded and evidence-lacking allegations and avoid the use of disinformation as a political weapon. We will continue our work with professionalism, dedication and unwavering commitment to the values which represent the basis for equal, free and fair elections,” reads the CEC statement.