NGOs have evaluated the October 31, 2020 parliamentary elections. According to them, the Georgian government failed to conduct the elections in accordance with democratic standards.

“Georgian government failed to conduct the elections in accordance with democratic standards. Moreover, the 2020 parliamentary elections were the least democratic and free among the elections held under the Georgian Dream government. In the pre-election period, political parties had the opportunity to campaign without significant restrictions. However, during the campaign, there were instances of violent confrontations, harassment and threats against voters and journalists, which were not followed by an effective investigation. This created a sense of political bias of the investigative bodies. In addition, the pre-election period was characterized by an unprecedented use of administrative resources by the ruling party, which blurred the line between the state and the party.

The election day, there were verbal and physical confrontations in and around polling stations, as well as obstructions and attacks against observers and journalists.

According to the statement, political parties were able to lead the campaign “without significant restrictions”, however, cases of violent confrontations, pressure and intimidation against voters and journalists during the campaign, “usually were not promptly investigated”. The campaign, watchdogs note, has also been marked by “unprecedented use of administrative resources, erasing boundaries between the state and the [ruling] party”.

NGOs have reported numerous cases of breaches of the secrecy of voting and voter bribery. Five NGOs alone, which had about 3,000 observers, drew up more than 500 complaints at various polling stations. Part of the election commission members, as well as representatives of political parties, including the opposition, were hostile to observers. Another problem was the delay in announcing the preliminary election results by the Central Election Commission, which took place about seven hours after polling stations closed, which should be seen as a deterioration in the practice of the past eight years”, - reads the statement.

The statement is signed by the Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), Transparency International Georgia (TI), International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI), Open Society Foundation (OSGF), Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), Safari Union, Green Alternative, Human Rights Center (HRC), Democracy Research Institute (DRI), Georgian Media Club, Atlantic Council of Georgia, Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP), Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), International Center for Civic Culture (ICCC), Region Development Center, Georgian Reform Association (GRASS), Human Rights and Social Justice Research Center, Georgian Democratic Development Union, Research Journalism and Advocacy Center, Management Systems Development Center (MSDC), Civic Initiative Community Foundation Leli, Nukriani Community Organization.