Givi Mikanadze, a Member of Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, held a media briefing on Friday to present information on the affiliations of local election observer organizations registered with the Central Election Commission (CEC) for the upcoming October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections. Mikanadze highlighted concerns over these organizations’ impartiality, revealing that more than half have connections to opposition parties.
Mikanadze noted that from August 27 to September 25, 2024, a total of 49 local organizations registered with the CEC to monitor the elections. According to research conducted by the Georgian Dream party, 19 of these organizations (39%) have direct ties to opposition parties, including the United National Movement, Akhali, Lelo, Droa, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Girchi – More Freedom, and the Federalists. The MP stressed that another seven organizations (14%) claim to be neutral but allegedly operate in favor of opposition parties.
„Overall, out of the 49 registered local observer organizations as of 25 September, 26 are biased, representing 53% of the total,” he said.
Mikanadze outlined the methodology used to identify the affiliations of these observer groups. The research involved analyzing the public affiliations of the organizations’ founders, board members, and executives. The MP explained that these connections were uncovered through party memberships, public statements, and donations made in support of opposition political entities.
Mikanadze also cited several specific examples:
1. Reforms and Research Group – Founded by individuals with ties to opposition parties such as Akhali, Lelo, and Strategy Aghmashenebeli, this organization claims to be neutral. However, according to Mikanadze, its connections to key opposition figures, including donations to opposition parties, cast doubt on its impartiality.
2. Georgia’s Future Academy – Founded by former members of Girchi – More Freedom, this organization is part of a coalition with several other observer groups, including the My Voice observer mission, which Mikanadze alleged has a clear anti-ruling party agenda.
3. Education Labor Union – Led by a former CEC employee, this group is accused of spreading false information in favor of the opposition during previous elections, according to the MP. He added that its members have also been financially linked to the United National Movement.
4. International Network for Civil Development – Mikanadze pointed out that the leader of this organization, Shmagi Chokheli, is known for his public support of the UNM and calls for the release of former Minister of Internal Affairs, Vano Merabishvili. The organization has registered as an observer with the CEC but is considered by the ruling party to be biased.
Mikanadze also raised concerns about the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), an international observer group. The MP highlighted that ENEMO’s chief election expert, Elene Nizharadze, formerly led the ISFED and was accused of withholding important data on vote counts during the 2020 elections, which fueled opposition claims of election fraud. He added that the ENEMO team also includes Ana Mikeladze, who allegedly left the CEC under questionable circumstances and was linked to the “Save Misha” campaign supporting former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is in jail for various crimes.
„It is also noteworthy that in recent years, ENEMO has involved Nino Rizhamadze in all its election-related activities as a chief analyst and international observer. Nino Rizhamadze worked at ISFED from 2011 to 2022 and is now a member of Nino Lomjaria’s Georgia’s European Orbit. Nino Rizhamadze, Elene Nizharadze, and Ana Mikeladze do not shy away from public propaganda against the Georgian Dream, which is clearly evident from their social media profiles,” Mikanadze explained.
The MP emphasized that the election monitoring conducted by those „biased” 26 organizations would not be objective due to their affiliations and previous activities that favored the opposition.
„We urge international observer missions to include evidence-based information about these identified local observer organizations in their reports and disregard the subjective information provided by them,” he said.
Mikanadze concluded by stating that detailed information on all the identified organizations, including their donations and political ties, is available on the Georgian Dream’s Facebook page. He also added that all foreign partners will receive an English version of the report in the coming days.
