President of DIALOG organization Yuri Navoyan in 2024. observed the Georgian parliamentary elections on October 26 in Tbilisi. He gave expert assessments of the results of the electoral process, as well as the significance of the current elections for the development and regional stability of Georgia.
According to him, all legal, organizational and technical conditions were created in Georgia for the true expression of citizens' will.
Free and competitive elections were held for the first time with proportional electoral lists, which led to the increase in the role of political parties and their programs. The use of electronic technologies, verification and vote counting devices was also an innovation, which contributed to the direct control over the election process and vote counting in the precincts.
Alternative and competitive principles of elections were preserved. Uniform legal conditions for registration and participation in elections were created for all parties. And the presence of 18 parties on the ballot gave the voter a wide choice. During the period of preparation and holding of the elections, the parties had the right to appoint their representatives in the election commissions. Which was done. 9 out of 17 members of each committee were representatives of political parties. Despite the tension and polarization of the pre-election phase, the actual elections were held in calm conditions. The violations detected on the day of the elections were prevented by the electoral commissions, and in some cases the law enforcement agencies gave them a legal assessment for further investigation.
Assessing the political significance of the Georgian parliamentary elections, Yuri Navoyan notes that it showed the victory of the supporters of the national-state identity of Georgia. And the certain post-election tension and rallies observed in the society are due to the syndrome of waiting for foreign intervention, which has often happened in the last decades of Georgia's political history. However, Yuri Navoyan believes that the majority of Georgian citizens are wary of new shocks that will disrupt the existing social and economic stability and the country will be drawn into a new conflict with Russia.
One of the main lessons of these elections is that the citizens of Georgia saw in the policies implemented by the informal leader of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" Bidzina Ivanishvili and her political team a path that stems from the Georgian national interest rather than relying on artificial intervention from outside. and on the imposition of models of internal and external confrontation. The head of the DIALOG organization draws attention to another important fact. Bidzina Ivanishvili announced in the pre-election campaign that after the elections in 2008 about the intention to organize a judicial process against the perpetrators of the "five-day" war and "apologise to the Ossetian brothers and sisters" as a result of the trial. The Caucasus region has been torn apart by inter-ethnic conflicts and wars for centuries, but the instigators of those wars have never received appropriate assessment and treatment.
Even Turkey has not apologized to the Armenians for the genocide, which is a universally recognized international fact. The unprecedented fact of the pardon of the political leadership of Georgia and the punishment of the perpetrators of the "five-day" war will weaken the ability to overcome inter-ethnic enmity and establish a dignified dialogue between the neighboring peoples.
It will be a contribution to the sustainable development of the region with great opportunities for cooperation and mutually beneficial partnership. Yuri Navoyan emphasizes that, based on national interests, the majority of Georgian voters drew conclusions from the recent history of the country and delegated to "Georgian Dream" a mandate for sustainable development, respect for other peoples, and ensuring peaceful and pragmatic relations with neighboring states.
This can rightfully be considered the realization of a Georgian dream. In his opinion, the other feature of the October 26 elections is that they are beyond the Georgian framework. The lessons of these elections can serve as an example for other countries in the region to not allow artificial interventions from outside, the imposition of confrontational agendas, and the transformation of their states' territories into a theater of geopolitical struggle, which can lead to destructive results for those same states.
