Most of the above problems were particularly pronounced in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. In general, the Supreme Court acted impartially in processing registration appeals. On election day, the vote was conducted in a relatively peaceful manner and voters had a chance to freely cast their ballots in a substantial number of polling stations visited by international observers. During their visits, observers noted that the elections were conducted in overall accordance with legal provisions. These observations are backed so far by reports from 200 OSCE observers in more than 800 polling stations.
Further progress is necessary to increase the confidence in the election process.
The Election Observation Mission encourages the Georgian authorities to investigate violations of the law, to improve the electoral legislation and to address the inadequacies of the electoral administration in order to enhance public confidence in the elections process. The heated competition between the leading political parties and election blocs confirms that political pluralism exists in Georgia, with a clear distinction between competing political interests. Despite isolated infringements, in general, fundamental freedoms were respected in Georgia during the pre-election period. The election campaign was mainly conducted through the media and publicity, with only a small number of large-scale meetings organized by the main parties. Regrettably, a few acts of violence against individuals and the property of political parties, as well as instances of intimidation, marred the pre-election period.