Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has not ruled out the possibility that the government may choose not to invite an OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission to monitor the 2028 parliamentary elections.
Asked whether the government would invite the mission, Kobakhidze said the decision would only be made in 2028.
“I can’t tell you anything about that today. The elections are still a long way off. They will be held on 28 October 2028, and decisions on inviting election observation missions are usually made at the beginning of the election year. Therefore, I would advise everyone to wait until 2028,” Kobakhidze said.
When asked whether this meant that Georgian Dream does not rule out not inviting an OSCE/ODIHR mission at all, Kobakhidze replied that “the decision could go either way,” adding that since it will be made in 2028 rather than today, “naturally, we cannot rule anything out.”
The remarks came during a press briefing on 13 July, convened by Kobakhidze to criticize a resolution –Upholding Election Integrity and Fundamental Freedoms in Georgia – adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly that was critical of developments in Georgia. During the briefing, he reiterated the ruling Georgian Dream party’s conspiracy theory about the so-called “deep state,” claiming it is working against the party founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and linking the OSCE resolution to those alleged efforts.
“Like other European institutions operating under informal oligarchic influence, the OSCE has now also been openly drawn into a process aimed at changing the government in Georgia through unjust and disgraceful accusations, sanctions, and other instruments of pressure and blackmail, replacing it with agents obedient to the ‘deep state’,” Kobakhidze said.
Kobakhidze was also asked how the government intended to continue cooperating with the OSCE following the adoption of the critical resolution.
“Cooperation with the OSCE will continue. However, the quality of that cooperation will depend on how the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly conducts its work going forward — whether it remains at Joe Wilson’s level or rises above Joe Wilson’s level,” Kobakhidze said.
OSCE/ODIHR is the principal international election observation mission for OSCE participating states, including Georgia.
The organization did not observe Georgia’s 2025 local elections after the Georgian Dream government initially failed to invite the mission and, following mounting criticism, extended an invitation only four weeks before election day. OSCE/ODIHR had previously stated that, under normal circumstances, it should receive an invitation four to six months in advance. The organization ultimately announced that the invitation came too late to prepare and deploy a full observation mission and therefore did not monitor the elections.
Cover Photo: Irakli Kobakhidze voted in Georgia’s parliamentary elections, October 26, 2024; screenshot from video by party propagandist Imedi TV
