GD’s Machavariani: OSCE/ODIHR faced unprecedented pressure After 2024 election report

Levan Machavariani, deputy chair of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction and head of the ruling party’s Tbilisi election headquarters, said on Saturday that the OSCE/ODIHR had come under “unprecedented pressure” following the release of its final report on Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections.

Machavariani commented on ODIHR’s refusal to observe the upcoming local elections, dismissing the explanation that the organisation could not assemble enough observers. He argued that this was merely an excuse, citing Georgia’s 2008 presidential election and current developments in Czechia, where observers were deployed within weeks.

“Everything is just an excuse, because OSCE/ODIHR has been subjected to unprecedented pressure since publishing the final report on Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections,” Machavariani said.

“That report reflected the will of our voters, confirmed that the elections were competitive, the CEC managed the process at a very high level, and that Georgia has an elected Government. After that, ODIHR became a target of bullying, and naturally, they do not want to go through the same again”, he added.

Machavariani said the organisation now faces a dilemma: “On the one hand, they do not want to damage their reputation by producing an inaccurate conclusion, but on the other, if they publish a real assessment, it will once again confirm that the elections were held at a high level, which would lead to intense political pressure”.