Webinar: Georgia’s 2025 Municipal Elections: A Critical Test for Democracy amid Repression and Isolation | 9 October 2025 | 16:00 CET
On 4 October 2025, Georgia held nationwide local elections – the first such important elections since the controversial parliamentary elections in 2024. Taking place amid deep political polarisation, protests, and increasing democratic erosion, these elections are expected to strengthen the dominance of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Independent monitoring has been limited in an unprecedented […]
Municipal Elections in Georgia – a Short Explainer
Georgia is scheduled to hold nationwide municipal elections on October 4, 2025. These elections mark the first electoral test since the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections and come at a time of heightened political polarization, ongoing anti-government protests, and considerable democratic backsliding. The ruling Georgian Dream party has significantly altered the legal framework governing elections, as […]
Statement | EPDE calls for strong EU response to crackdown on election observers ahead of Georgia’s Local Elections
On 27 August 2025, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office froze the bank accounts of seven independent NGOs including EPDE member International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, marking a dangerous escalation in the government’s systematic dismantling of civil society. This attack on fundamental rights demands an immediate, forceful, and public European response. The asset freeze goes […]
GNDEM Condemns Continued Efforts by the Georgian Government to Close Civic Space and Undermine Citizen Observers
The Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) once again condemns the continued efforts by the Georgian government to close civic space, limit basic freedoms and undermine the activities of citizen observers. Most recently, at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, a Tbilisi City Court judge froze bank accounts of at least seven non-governmental organizations, including […]
Georgia: Despite Asset Freezes and Repressions, Georgian NGOs Will Continue Our Work
EPDE member International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy responds to the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office freezing the assets of seven independent organizations, calling the move an illegal act undermining fundamental rights and Georgia’s European integration path. “The asset freeze of seven independent organizations represents yet another illegal act by Ivanishvili’s government. It violates fundamental human […]
2025 Municipal Elections in Georgia: Assessment of the Pre-Election Environment
Key Findings and Conclusions The next municipal elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 4, 2025. Citizens registered across 64 municipalities will have the right to elect both representative bodies (Sakrebulos – municipal councils) and executive bodies (mayors) of local self-government units. The official pre-election period commenced on August 5, 2025. With this report, ISFED […]
2025 Municipal Elections in Georgia: Assessment of the Pre-Election Environment
The next municipal elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 4, 2025. Citizens registered across 64 municipalities will have the right to elect both representative bodies (Sakrebulos – city/municipal councils) and executive bodies (mayors) of local self-government units. The official pre-election period commenced on August 5, 2025. With this report, ISFED assessed the current environment […]
GNDEM Expresses Its Ongoing Serious Concern Over the Continued Closing of Civic Space in Georgia and Stands in Solidarity with Georgian Civic Organizations
The Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) expresses its ongoing serious concern over the continued closing of civic space in Georgia. Most recently, the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) presented court orders to a number of civic organizations, including GNDEM member the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), requiring them to provide essentially […]
Georgia | The Anti-Corruption Bureau requests information about beneficiaries of ISFED
On June 23, 2025, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) presented a court order to our member organization International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) granting the ACB’s motion, which demands virtually all information held by the organization from January 1, 2024, to June 10, 2025, including legally protected personal data of the organization’s beneficiaries and […]
Georgia | Levan Natroshvili will be the new Executive Director of ISFED
Georgian EPDE member The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (“ISFED”) has a new Executive Director. After the expiration of Nino Dolidze’s term of office as defined by the organization’s charter, the organization’s board elected Levan Natroshvili as the new executive director. Levan Natroshvili has held the position of Deputy Executive Director of ISFED […]