The Report
On December 20, the OSCE/ODIHR released its final report on Georgia’s 26 October parliamentary elections, indicating multiple deficiencies before, on the day of, and after the elections. Among various concerns, the critical report highlights voter pressure, intimidation, an uneven playing field, and fear of retribution. ODIHR notes that in line with its mandate, ODIHR does not recognize or endorse elections.
The ruling Georgian Dream party’s PM Irakli Kobakhidze expressed gratitude to the OSCE/ODIHR for withstanding the pressure and providing a proper assessment of the October parliamentary elections, further noting that the OSCE/ODIHR is ready to cooperate with the elected authorities to improve the election environment of the country.
While the ruling party claims that the OSCE/ODIHR gave a positive assessment of the October parliamentary elections, the opposition parties believe that the report shows that there were no free and fair elections in the country. Opposition representatives claim that the report is “unprecedentedly negative,” outlining numerous violations that prove the election results are illegitimate.
Commenting on the OSCE/ODIHR’s final report, President Salome Zurabishvili also denied the legitimacy of the election results, accusing the ruling party of spreading lies on recognizing election legitimacy through its propaganda mouthpiece Imedi TV. She also said that it is now time for foreign partners to call for new elections.
On December 21, Salome Zurabishvili reiterated her call for new elections after meeting with representatives of civil society and opposition parties. She stated that the elections “must be called immediately” and expressed her readiness to meet with Bidzina Ivanishvili to discuss the issue of new elections. The President also said that she would join protesters the next day and would address them in front of Parliament at 9 pm.
Following Salome Zurabishvili’s claims regarding the illegitimacy of the parliament and subsequently the presidential elections, GD PM Irakli Kobakhidze twice threatened the President with imprisonment during a special briefing on December 22. “Let us see where she continues to live – beyond the bars or behind the bars. I think she would have enough sense not to violate the Criminal Code,” Kobakhidze asserted.
The Other Important Matters
On December 20, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze appointed Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri – an official sanctioned the day earlier by the U.S., as well as by the U.K., Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia– as Vice-Prime Minister of Georgia. Kobakhidze also pledged that “If any official suffers any financial loss from these [American] sanctions, the Georgian state will fully compensate for this loss.”
Latvia has imposed additional travel restrictions on 13 Georgian citizens on December 20, announcing them personae non gratae in the country. It is not yet publicly known, who they are. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia said that “the ban on entering Latvia is imposed on the said persons for an indefinite period.”
After the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on two senior Georgian Interior Ministry officials, under the Global Magnitsky Act, the U.S. State Department said it is “also taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on additional Georgian individuals and their family members, including law enforcement and security officials who were involved in the violence against protesters, and municipal government officials who abused their power to restrict fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote without coercion or intimidation.”
On December 20, the Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned the British Ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, over the sanctions imposed on December 19 by the United Kingdom on senior Georgian officials for their role in a systematic crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, civil society, the media, and opposition figures.
Another Georgian citizen, Badri Kvaratskhelia was killed while fighting in Ukraine. The Georgian Foreign Ministry confirmed the information to Civil.ge on December 21. This latest casualty brings the unofficial death toll of Georgian citizens in Ukraine since the Russian invasion to 62.
The Weekend Rallies
On Saturday and Sunday, thousands of people took to the streets participating in a peaceful demonstration known as Georgian resistance. Multiple marches were held in Tbilisi, later in the evening all converging in one big protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue. Saturday’s rally was one of the most spectacular, with demonstrators from different regions of Georgia adding their color and spirit to each march, accompanied by large rallies by students from the Free University and Agrarian University, among others.
On Sunday, President Salome Zurabishvili addressed a large crowd of protesters on Rustaveli Avenue. The President affirmed that she remains in office and called on Bidzina Ivanishvili to come to the Presidential residence to negotiate a new election date before December 29.
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