In a preliminary January 6 assessment, international observers gave conditional, but crucial approval to the conduct of Georgia’s presidential election, a vote widely seen as a test of its democratic credentials.

A team of several hundred international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament praised the January 5 election as “the first genuinely competitive election in the country.”

“In Georgia today, democracy took a triumphant step,” stated US Congressman Alcee L. Hastings, president emeritus of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. “I perceive this election as a viable expression of the free choice of the Georgian people.” Congressman Hastings, who coordinated the short-term observation mission, declared the election “consistent with most OSCE and Council of Europe standards for democratic elections…”

Hastings also commended the government’s openness to foreign observers. “I’ve observed elections in Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan…I have not seen as many observers that I have witnessed in my lifetime that I have in Georgia. To me, it’s a positive sign,” Hastings noted.

Parliamentarian Giga Bokeria, a close ally of candidate and former president Mikheil Saakashvili on hand for the briefing, welcomed the evaluation. “We are very happy that the government has pulled off an election that marked a significant progress,” he told EurasiaNet.

Yet the mission’s findings were far from uniformly positive. Observers also expressed a number of concerns that election officials should address before the country’s parliamentary elections, slotted for this year.

While describing the poll as a “step forward in strengthening Georgia’s young and fragile democracy,” the mission cautioned that their final evaluation would be contingent on how Georgian authorities act upon their recommendations. “Now it is up to the authorities to hear our criticisms and urgently respond to the significant shortcomings noted,” said Matyas Eorsi, head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s delegation.

Among the problem areas, the delegation found that a “sometimes blurred” distinction between Saakashvili’s campaign and the government “contributed to an inequitable campaign environment.” The finding parallels observations by domestic election watchdog groups. Similarly, as have domestic observers, the mission found that television news coverage that largely favored Saakashvili added to this imbalance.

Other concerns cited included substantiated cases of voter intimidation and pressure, the “implementation” of social welfare programs in conjunction with campaigning for Saakashvili, shortcomings in the election code and insufficient “clarity and detail” about voting procedures. A “highly polarized political environment” left the campaign short on issue discussions, according to the January 6 statement.

In a comment likely to be seized by the opposition, which has stated that it will pursue its election complaints in court, the mission also noted that “[t]he CEC and the courts tended to stretch the law beyond sound interpretation to favor the ruling party’s candidate and public officials.”

The observers declined to specify if the scale of the irregularities was large enough to potentially affect the race’s outcome. “We are here to report on the process, not the result,” Hastings commented. A final report from the OSCE/ODIHR will be released in February.

As of early evening, Saakashvili stood in the lead, with 51 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission. Opposition challenger and parliamentarian Levan Gachechiladze trailed with a reported 25.08 percent of the vote. Under Georgian law, a candidate needs 50 percent plus one vote to win the election in a first round.

The international observer delegation’s findings, however, will not likely put to rest the opposition’s charges that the election was rigged to favor Saakashvili. The nine-party opposition coalition backing Gachechiladze has pledged ongoing protests if they deem final vote results falsified, no matter the delegation’s positive assessment.

Addressing US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza, candidate Gia Maisashvili opted for a Martin Luther King, Jr. slogan: “No justice, no peace.”

Labor Party leader Shalva Natelashvili has also dismissed the international observers’ report. “It’s not to up to media or international observers to decide who won in presidential elections, it’s up to the Georgian people,” he told Rustavi-2 television.

Responding to the criticism, pro-Saakashvili parliamentarian Bokeria described the opposition’s calls for protests as “troubling.” “[T]he electoral process is not over yet,” he said.

Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis echoed that view, stating on January 6 that calling for protests before the vote count is complete and before the release of international observer findings is “immature and premature.”

In remarks to EurasiaNet, PACE’s Eorsi also expressed regret at the opposition’s stance.

“They can be critical of some particular observer or organization, but today we speak on behalf of a number of most trusted and credible international organizations,” he said. “The opposition leaders must express their concerns, but also treat the election process and results responsibly.”