Tbilisi, October 1—The European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) has deployed an International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to observe the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia. The mission aims to enhance the electoral process's transparency, fairness, and credibility by monitoring and reporting on crucial aspects of the elections.
ENEMO has accredited seven Core Team members and eight long-term observers, who are organised into four teams and deployed across regions to monitor the pre-election process in Georgia.
Dr. Zlatko Vujović, the Head of the Mission, announced the deployment of an additional 80 short-term observers who will join the Mission just before the elections.
"Their responsibility will be to employ a formulated methodology to monitor and document the election day procedure, concentrating on voting, vote counting, and result tabulation," he stated.
Vujovic added: “All ENEMO reports and conclusions presented to the public will be based on evidence and the findings of observers in the field, where they focus on the work of election administration bodies, candidate registration, campaigns, election-related complaints and appeals, and other election-related activities.”
Vujović emphasized the importance of monitoring and reporting on crucial aspects of the elections and highlighted the international role of ENEMO missions, which are organised to ensure respect for voters' free will.
He also stated that the Mission, based on the monitoring process through its developed methodology, will provide key findings and conclusion in a preliminary report to be presented to the Georgian public the day after the elections.
Vujovic noted that the final report, which will include recommendations for Georgian institutions and other stakeholders, will be released two months after the elections at the latest.
Vujovic stated, “We recognise that these elections occur within a politically sensitive environment, characterised by public polarization and a substantial decline in trust towards state institutions, especially those engaged in electoral processes.” Consequently, international neutral observers such as ENEMO are essential for verifying that elections are conducted according to international standards.
He emphasised the Mission's openness to cooperating with all domestic and international stakeholders whose core values align with those of the network, such as respect for human rights and strengthening democratic processes and the rule of law.
ENEMO will observe and assess key aspects such as the overall political and electoral environment, respect for the rights to elect and stand for election, the conduct of election management bodies, freedom to campaign, gender equality, voting and counting processes, election dispute resolution, and more.
This is ENEMO’s 43rd international observation mission. The IEOM for the 2024 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia has been launched to contribute to the electoral process's transparency, fairness, and credibility.
Press release in English: Press release_ENEMO-1-10-2024.pdf
