Georgian PM accuses unity of NGOs to observe October elections of bias

Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, on Monday accused a civil society-led election monitoring mission My Voice of operating as an election campaign, claiming it was backed by foreign funds.

Speaking at a press conference, Kobakhidze said the initiative violated electoral principles by “openly supporting certain political parties”.

“This is an election campaign, not an observation mission. Their materials show clear support for specific political forces and opposition to others. The fact that this campaign is funded by foreign money is a serious breach of election laws,” he said.

The PM added that local monitoring groups involved in the mission, which he described as “neutral in name only”, were also engaging in politically biased activities. “This goes against the very principles of fair elections,” he said.

The My Voice observation mission, backed by around 30 civil society organizations, was officially launched on Monday at an event in Tbilisi.