“Representatives of the opposition and local monitoring organizations have been invited to participate in the inter-departmental commission council, yet none have attended the sessions; six meetings have already been held,” stated Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

He emphasized that if they possess any evidence concerning the use of administrative resources, bribery, or similar issues, they should present this information to the inter-departmental coordination council.

“Regarding the inter-departmental commission, I would like to remind the public, the media, and international observers that we have invited representatives from the opposition and local monitoring organizations to participate in this council. However, no one from either group has attended any of the six sessions held so far. Only international observers and representatives of the Georgian Dream party have participated.

If opposition members have any data regarding the use of administrative resources or evidence related to bribery, they need to present it at this coordination council. Instead, they choose to make media statements without attending the question-and-answer sessions, which leads to misinformation distribution. This behaviour indicates a systematic approach to create excuses for the non-recognition of election outcomes,” Papuashvili remarked.

He also pointed out that Salome Zourabichvili explicitly stated that an election headquarters would be established in the presidential administration building on election day.

“If we set aside everything else, this constitutes the misuse of administrative resources, given that building and logistical resources are being employed for electoral purposes. She also mentioned her intention to celebrate the victory of her faction. Imagine if I were to establish a Georgian Dream election headquarters in the Parliament or in Rustaveli Hall, where we would gather around a large screen to tally votes. Or what if the Prime Minister were to create a Georgian Dream election headquarters in the government administration, displaying the same campaign aesthetics? Can you imagine the reaction from those so-called NGOs and observers? Have you heard anything from them regarding this matter?

Day by day, administrative resources are being misused, and violations are occurring. This exemplifies how non-governmental organizations, which we have repeatedly criticized, disseminate false information and accusations against Georgian Dream while ignoring violations committed by the opposition,” he stated.

Papuashvili added that this issue is not solely the responsibility of non-governmental organizations.

“There are specific donors behind these NGOs, including European and American funders. It is their direct responsibility for what these organizations are doing now—spreading disinformation and consciously overlooking serious issues. We experienced this bitter lesson in 2020, when the donors’ irresponsibility allowed these NGOs to publish faked reports, endangering Georgia’s stability and democracy,” Shalva Papuashvili concluded.