European Parliament calls for new elections in Georgia
The European Parliament adopted on November 27 a resolution condemning the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia, an EU candidate country, for being neither free nor fair, representing yet another manifestation of the continued democratic backsliding of the country “for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible”.
The resolution was adopted by 444 votes in favour, 72 against with 82 abstentions.
MEPs denounced the numerous and serious electoral violations, including documented cases of intimidation of voters, vote manipulation, interference with election observers and media and reported manipulation involving electronic voting machines.
The vote results announced by the country’s Central Election Commission “do not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people”, they add.
The European Parliament rejects any recognition of the parliamentary elections as a result, as the international community should too, and MEPs want the elections re-run within a year under thorough international supervision and by an independent election administration.
While supporting calls for an independent international investigation into the allegations of electoral manipulation, the European Parliament wants the EU and its member states to impose personal sanctions on the officials and political leaders in Georgia who are responsible for democratic backsliding, violations of electoral laws and standards, and the misuse of state institutions.
This includes Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party Kakha Kaladze, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili and former Prime Minister and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.
MEPs also called on the EU to severely restrict formal EU-level contacts with the Georgian government and parliament, while stating clearly that Georgia, as a result of recently adopted anti-democratic legislation, including the “law on transparency and foreign influence”, has already had its EU integration process effectively suspended.
The European Parliament also strongly condemns Russia’s systematic interference in Georgia’s democratic processes, through disinformation such as the “Global War Party” conspiracy, which claims that the country’s opposition would supposedly drag the country into war with Russia under orders from the West.
MEPs issued a severe warning to Georgian authorities that any attempts to ban legally established political parties would further alienate the country from the EU and make any moves towards EU accession impossible.
They said that the policies implemented by Georgian Dream are incompatible with Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
(Photo via the Facebook page of the European Parliament)
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