"I express my deep concern over the deterioration of the political situation in Georgia, including the arrest of opposition leaders, which seriously hinders the possibility of dialogue between the country's political forces," – said Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

According to Cools, the Congress is ready to cooperate with all Georgian political forces to ensure improvements to the electoral environment.

"I am closely following the joint statement made by eight opposition parties announcing their boycott of the local elections scheduled for October 2025. I regret that the conditions for participating in the local elections in an environment based on trust have still not been met. The Congress is ready to work with all Georgian political actors to ensure these conditions are fulfilled.

In the resolution and recommendation adopted on 26 March 2025, the Congress called on the Georgian authorities to renew inclusive political dialogue at all levels of government and with all relevant stakeholders – including local authorities, the opposition, and civil society – in order to reduce polarization, restore the checks and balances essential in a pluralistic democracy, and guarantee the rights of the opposition to participate. This is essential to re-establish the conditions for a democratic environment ahead of the 2025 local elections,” the statement reads.

Cools once again urges the Georgian authorities to stop persecuting the opposition and to begin political dialogue at all levels of governance.

“Today, on behalf of the Congress, I reaffirm this call. I urge the Georgian authorities to cease the persecution of the opposition and to start a political dialogue at all levels of governance in order to create the conditions necessary for holding local elections, as requested in Congress Recommendation 476 (2022) concerning the rights of opposition candidates in local and regional elections,” said Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.