RIGA - Several leading members of the European Parliament (EP) have released a joint statement on last weekend's general elections in Georgia, stressing that all violations observed in the elections must be investigated and addressed promptly.
The statement, which has been posted on the EP's website, has been signed by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the European Parliament, David McAllister, the Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus, Nils Ushakovs, and the Chairman of the Delegation of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Sergey Lagodinsky.
The statement notes that the parliamentary elections in Georgia were held on October 26, "after a highly polarized and tense election campaign and against the backdrop of concerns about the country's democratic decline."
As already reported, according to the preliminary results announced by the Georgian election authority, the incumbent ruling party, Georgian Dream, won 54 percent of the vote. The pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has declared that the results are a complete forgery and has expressed suspicions of Russian interference.
The MEPs' statement says that the "Georgian people have once again demonstrated their activism and commitment to democracy, not only by exercising their right to vote in large numbers, but also by actively participating in election observation and reporting of violations."
"According to the preliminary findings of the international observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which included the European Parliament's observation mission, these elections were held against the background of reports of voter pressure, an uneven environment, a polarized media environment and political instrumentalization," the MEPs said.
The MEPs note that the violations observed by international observers included incidents of violence, bribery of votes, double voting, expulsion of media representatives and observers, and intimidation of voters inside and outside polling stations. "All reported violations must be investigated and addressed promptly in accordance with the appropriate complaints and appeals procedures," the MEPs underline in the statement.
"This is a turning point for Georgia. This is the first election since the country became a candidate country for the European Union in 2023, a process that was de facto halted by the adoption of the "Foreign Agents Law". Georgian people constantly claim that they want a democratic Georgia in the European Union. We hope that the post-election period will be peaceful and democratic, and immediate steps will be taken to return Georgia to the EU path, meeting the aspirations of Georgians," the statement says.
"We will continue to monitor developments in Georgia and support efforts to strengthen democratic institutions to ensure free and fair elections, the rule of law and the development of human rights. We are ready to help Georgia, which is going through this critical period, and to work to ensure a democratic and successful future for all its citizens," the MEPs note.
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