A day after Georgia’s parliamentary elections, in which the Central Election Commission declared the ruling Georgian Dream party the winner, senior European parliamentarians issued a joint statement with their Canadian counterpart saying “the elections were neither free nor fair” and that “the European Union cannot recognize the result.” The MPs call to sanction “those responsible for unfair electoral influence, intimidation and threats against the opposition and civil society.”
The statement starts by expressing solidarity with “many committed Europeans in Georgia” who share European values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. “We remain convinced that Georgia deserves a place in the very heart of a united Europe,” the statement reads.
“But these elections were neither free nor fair,” the statement stresses. “The political climate in the run-up to the elections was incompatible with European standards of fairness,” it says, citing intimidation and threats to election candidates, abuse of state power, and vote buying.
The parliamentarians emphasize that “This election was about Europe or isolation, democracy or authoritarianism, freedom or Russification”. They note that “during the election campaign it did not become clear enough that there can be no continuation of the EU rapprochement with the ruling party and its policies.”
They say the ruling Georgian Dream party’s policy is “simply incompatible” with the EU. “The perfidious campaign of fear of a “global war party” that makes Georgia a second Ukraine, fell on fertile ground. There is only one “global war party”, you should call it by name. Its name is Russia,” the statement says.
“Against this background, the European Union cannot recognize the result,” the statement says.
In addition, the parliamentarians demand personal sanctions against “those responsible for unfair electoral influence, intimidation and threats against the opposition and civil society.”
The statement says the disappointments are massive, but despite this fact, the parliamentarians stress, “We must not now abandon the pro-European parts of society,” but should instead strengthen civil society exchanges. Notably, they reject the punishment of the nation as a whole, such as taking away visa liberalization regime with Georgia. “However, we fear an exodus of the well-educated, pro-European youth. Although we welcome you to the EU, it would be a tragedy for Georgia’s European orientation,” the statement says.
The parliamentarians also express concern about “Belarusification” of Georgia, saying if the GD fulfills its promises, there is a threat of persecution and prohibition of government critics, including politicians, media and civil society. “The EU must make it clear to the governing party that it will not accept this and in this case a complete termination of relations will follow,” the statement adds.
Finally, they say they continue to “strongly support” the efforts of President Salome Zurabishvili “to unite the country, to defend democracy, freedom and the rule of law and to preserve and secure the European future of Georgia.”
Parliamentarians signing the joint statement: Michael Roth, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Parliament, Emanuelis Zingeris, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, Zygis Pavilionis, Deputy Speaker and Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, Charles Flanagan, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Irish Parliament, Marko Miihkelson, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, Rihards Kols, MEP, Bogdan Klich, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Polish Senate, Kerstin Lundgren, Deputy Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Oleksandr Merezhko, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ināra Mūniece, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian Parliament, Radoslaw Fogiel, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Polish Parliament, Ali Ehsassi, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee of the Canadian Parliament
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