PM thanks MEPs for monitoring municipal elections, pledges to hold free, fair, and transparent runoffs

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met the delegation of the European Parliament election observers and expressed absolute commitment to holding free and fair local self-government elections.

PM thanked the MEPs for observing the 2021 local self-government elections despite the ongoing pandemic. He said the authorities would ensure peaceful and transparent runoffs, similar to the recent general elections, to have no unanswered questions.

The authorities invited international observers from various international organizations as early as a few months ago, including the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the European Parliament (EP), the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the International Republican Institute (IRI).

The meeting emphasized that special protocols have been developed to protect the health and safety of international observers in light of pandemic-related challenges. According to the Head of Government, since 2012, the Government has held a series of democratic elections meeting international standards and praised by international observers as free and fair. During the meeting, the parties also addressed the security environment and challenges in the region, underlining the importance of the European Parliament’s support for promoting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

PM said on Twitter after the meeting that Georgia greatly values the interest of MEPs in monitoring the runoff municipal elections. “Georgia greatly values European Parliamentarians interest and support in monitoring the second round of Georgia’s election process. We aim to ensure a safe environment for free, transparent and fair elections. European MEPs’ engagement and bold support in Georgian democratic process are essential for Georgia’s EU and NATO path,” PM tweeted.

The runoffs of local elections will be held in 20 municipalities of Georgia on October 30.

https://twitter.com/GharibashviliGe/status/1454018092791738371