U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee, and Jim Risch(R-ID), Ranking Member of SFRC, released joint statement in response to the elections in Georgia over the weekend, Voice of America’s (VoA) Georgian Service reports. The statement calls on Georgian authorities to respect Georgians’ right of the peaceful protest and states that, if necessary, additional changes can be made to the bipartisan legislation, the Georgian People’s Act, to held accountable those responsible for fraud and manipulation of the election process.
The Senators note that despite their recent concerns with democratic backsliding in Georgia, they had hoped to see a commitment by the Georgian government to run a free and fair election process reflecting the wishes of the Georgian people. “In reality, we have witnessed something different in this weekend’s parliamentary elections,” the letter reads.
The statement reads: “Reporting shared by the OSCE/ODHIR, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, and ISFED show multiple violations that severely compromised the standards for democratic elections.” The senators note that they are also alarmed “by the dozens of reports of election day interference, including violence, voter intimidation and ballot stuffing, that could have further damaged the integrity of yesterday’s election results.”
“We call on the Department of State, in partnership with our European friends, to immediately investigate reports of fraud and any external interference to determine whether any actions have seriously impacted the outcome of the elections,” the senators write, adding: “Those responsible should be held accountable.”
Noting that “This is a precarious moment for Georgia,” the senators state that the ruling Georgian Dream party “must recognize that its actions could have immediate consequences on its economic and security agenda.”
Senators Risch and Shaheen note that Russia has “undoubtedly benefitted from sowing division and disinformation.” They also state: “We recognize the right of the Georgian people to, if they so choose, protest peacefully and call on the relevant Georgian authorities to respect this deeply important democratic right.”
The senators also state: “If needed, we will make additional changes to our bipartisan legislation, the Georgian People’s Act, to ensure that those responsible for fraud and manipulation of the election process are held accountable. The US Senate is fully committed to supporting the democratic aspirations of the Georgian people.”
Also Read:
- 28/10/2024 – International Reactions to Results of the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia
- 28/10/2024 – Georgian Opposition, Observers Collect Evidence to Reveal Alleged Vote Fraud Scheme
- 28/10/2024 – Observer Mission Talks of Main Scheme of Large-Scale Election Fraud, Seeks Annulment of Results from 189 Polling Stations