Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili has stated that the Election Administration continues to operate per legislation, emphasising that donor activities and grant allocation matters fall outside the Commission’s remit.

Kalandarishvili was responding to a statement from the British Embassy in Georgia, which said: “After discussion with the Georgian authorities, we have been told that the planned Government Decree establishing a procedure for grant approvals is not finalised, and therefore, no mechanism or timeframe currently exists for grant approval decisions. Due to this uncertainty, we have reluctantly had to cancel our grant plans to support the transparency and competitiveness of the upcoming municipal elections.”

The CEC chairman acknowledged that election observation represents “good international practice when conducted with high standards of objectivity, impartiality and independence.” However, he noted concerns from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), stating it had shown particular bias in recent years.

“In its conclusions, ODIHR mentions various circumstances regarding the activities of local observer organisations, which was particularly evident during the last elections,” Kalandarishvili said. “This concerns both various public interpretations and manipulations of electoral provisions, as well as a certain loss of boundaries between political narratives and impartial observer missions.”

He reiterated that the Election Administration “operates strictly within existing legislation”, stating: “Naturally, donor activities and grant allocation issues do not fall within the electoral administration’s competence.”

Regarding registration procedures, creating a competitive environment, transparent operations and voter information, Kalandarishvili said the electoral administration would act in accordance with legislation and do “everything necessary to ensure registration procedures and subsequent collaboration with observer organisations remain transparent.”

“I am confident that the 4 October [local] elections will also be conducted in a sufficiently competitive environment,” he concluded.