“The Georgian government, traditionally, reaffirms its strong commitment to holding local elections in a free, fair, and transparent environment, aligned with best practices and international standards,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lasha Darsalia at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, which marked the 17th anniversary of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war.

As Darsalia emphasised, the Georgian government has officially invited the OSCE/ODIHR to observe the upcoming local elections.

“We believe that the preliminary, unfounded assessments and assumptions presented in the statement have a negative influence on the pre-election climate. Despite the fact that the OSCE/ODIHR report on the 2024 parliamentary elections has been subject to criticism and speculation by some political actors both domestically and internationally, the Georgian government formally invited the OSCE/ODIHR to monitor the upcoming local elections. Considering the deadlines for internal election procedures, an official invitation was sent on September 5, 2025, the day after the submission of party lists, confirming our full readiness to facilitate all necessary conditions for the effective fulfilment of its mandate. Unfortunately, our invitation was ultimately declined.

In accordance with our legislation, the accreditation and registration process remains open, and both international and domestic observers are being registered,” Darsalia stated.

On September 18, 2025, during the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, Deputy Minister Lasha Darsalia responded to a joint statement issued the previous week by 36 OSCE member states, in which these countries criticised the human rights situation in Georgia.