The International Republican Institute (IRI) has released an interim report of the Election Technical Assessment Mission, suggesting an analysis of the October 31 parliamentary elections and recommendations for the run-off scheduled for November 21.

“The elections in Georgia failed to meet the new standards set by the constitutional and electoral changes and reduced the population’s trust in the election administration. It is vital that the Georgian government is able to improve the credibility and transparency of the forthcoming elections and address the shortcomings identified on October 31 before the second round,” said Stephen Nix, Director of Eurasia programs at the International Republican Institute (IRI).

According to the interim report, although the October 31 parliamentary elections were held in a peaceful environment, in compliance with the law of the country, the violations observed during the pre-election period and on election day, negatively affected the credibility of the entire election process.

IRI Georgia says election violations included the use of administrative resources, voter fraud, pressure on voters and observers, manipulation of numbers in PEC summary protocols, and result management process which were insufficiently transparent to meet international standards.

International mission report offers recommendations to the Government of Georgia, political parties, civil society and the media to improve the credibility of the forthcoming elections.