Congress President deplores deteriorating political climate in Georgia
Council of Europe
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Strasbourg
1 July 2025
"I deplore the deteriorating political situation in Georgia, with the arrests of opposition leaders which seriously hinders the possibility of dialogue between the country's political forces," stressed Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, in a statement today.
"I note the recent statement jointly released by eight opposition parties declaring that they will be boycotting the local elections to take place in October 2025. I regret that the conditions for meaningful participation in the local elections in a trust-based environment have still not been met. The Congress stands ready to work with all the Georgian political forces to make sure these conditions are met.
"In its resolution and recommendation adopted on 26 March 2025, the Congress urged Georgian authorities to resume inclusive political dialogue at all levels of government and with all stakeholders - including local authorities, opposition and civil society - in order to reduce polarisation, restore the checks and balances essential in a pluralist democracy and regulate the participation rights of the opposition. This is indispensable to restore the conditions for a democratic environment ahead of the 2025 local elections.
"Today, I reaffirm this call on behalf of the Congress. I urge Georgian authorities to stop persecution of the opposition and enter into political dialogue at all levels of government, in order to create conditions necessary for holding local elections, as required in Congress Recommendation 476(2022) with regard to the rights of candidates from the opposition in local and regional elections," underlined President Cools.
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