May 21, 2008
Embassy of Estonia to Georgia

Having visited all polling stations in the city of Mskheta throughout the morning of Election Day, 21 May, the observer delegation of the Estonian Embassy concluded that the elections represented a very substantial improvement compared to the Presidential Elections of January 2008.

The Georgian authorities have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to hold elections that are run according to rules and values usual in western European democracies. Despite a very short preparation time, they have succeeded in holding significantly well-run elections. Mr. Harry Lahtein, chargé d'affaires of the Republic of Estonia, observed that they “most certainly meet all the basic requirements of free and fair elections”.

Mr Lahtein further observed that “throughout the morning, the elections took place in a calm and tension-free atmosphere, where every actor in the election process seemed to know their rights and their role”. He concluded that many EU Member States “would be pleased to see their elections carried out with so few irregularities”.

Note: As of 22:00 Tbilisi time, the Government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for free and fair elections reported serious irregularities in 5 out of 3,558 electoral precincts, or less than 0.2% of the total.