The European Union’s Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczyński, has called on Georgians to achieve a “historically high” turnout in the upcoming elections, saying the country’s future lies in the hands of its citizens. In a scathing criticism of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s campaign methods and general anti-Western rhetoric, actions and policies, Herczyński said Georgia’s EU aspirations depend on free, fair and transparent elections, as the EU, which has suspended high-level contacts with the Georgian authorities, is ready to work with any democratically elected government after the elections.
Ambassador Pawel Herczyński made these comments to journalists on October 4 at the launch of the “Election Compass” program, a non-partisan web-based tool developed by Georgian civil society organizations with the support of international partners, including the EU. The website provides Georgian citizens with information on the political parties contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections, and on their positions on various policy issues, with the aim of helping citizens to make an informed choice.
EU Hopes for “Historic High” Voter Turnout on October 26
The EU Ambassador repeatedly called on Georgians to participate in the October 26 elections. “Upcoming elections will be absolutely essential in determining the future of your country,” Herczyński said, hoping for a “historically high” turnout so that citizens, not only by exercising their constitutional right to vote, but also by fulfilling their civic duty, as the Ambassador stressed, will decide the future of their country.
Ambassador Herczyński expressed his hope that the upcoming elections will be free and fair, competitive, inclusive and transparent, in accordance with the highest international and European standards. He noted the importance of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Mission’s report on the elections, on which the EU’s assessment will largely depend.
EU Ready to Work with “Any Democratically Elected Government”
The Ambassador reiterated the EU’s readiness to work with the newly elected government after the elections on the reforms necessary for Georgia’s EU accession process, regretting that “a lot of time has been wasted” in the past months. “Our doors are open for Georgia. We are waiting for you,” he said, stressing that the EU would work with “any government democratically elected by the Georgian people.”
Meanwhile, he highlighted certain values that he said are “non-negotiable” if a country seeks membership into the EU. In particular, he said, these values are freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and the rights of minorities. “If Georgia becomes a one-party state; if Georgia becomes a country where political opposition is banned; if Georgia becomes a place where civil society has to go abroad to operate; if basic human rights, including the rights of minorities, are not protected… then Georgia will not become a member of the European Union; neither today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after tomorrow,” he said.
The Ambassador’s points about “non-negotiable” principles should be understood in the context of recent anti-democratic actions by the current Georgian Dream government, including the adoption of a Russian-style Foreign Agents Law aimed at cracking down on civil society and the anti-LGBT law restricting the rights of sexual minorities, as well as the GD’s promise to ban all opposition parties grouped under its “collective UNM” jargon.
While regretting Georgia’s suspension of the EU accession process, Ambassador Herczyński said that the European Council will discuss Georgia again on October 17-18, just one week before the elections in Georgia.
On GD’s Campaign Banners, Anti-Western Conspiracies
Asked about the campaign banners of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which juxtapose war-torn Ukraine with the “peace” offered by the GD and aim, reinforcing the GD’s war-against-peace campaign pillar, Ambassador Herczyński reiterated the EU’s support for Ukraine and described the GD’s banners as “outrageous,” “shameful,” and “disgusting.”
He again noted that contrary to the nine steps set out by the EU for Georgia, one of which requires fighting anti-Western propaganda, this propaganda in fact continues, including through GD’s “Global War Party” conspiracy which, they claim influences American and European politics. “The European Union is the Global Peace Party. We know where the Global War Party is. It’s in Moscow,” the EU Ambassador said.
On Halting High-Level Meetings with GD Officials
The Ambassador said that in June, when the EU officially halted Georgia’s accession process, another decision was made to stop high-level contacts with the GD government because of its “unfriendly” attitude towards the EU and its anti-European narratives and propaganda conspiracy theories. “As the EU institutions, we have decided to stop all high-level meetings with representatives of the Georgian government,” Ambassador Herczyński confirmed.
Sanctions “On the Table,” Not Being Considered At This Moment
Regarding the possibility of the EU imposing sanctions on Georgian officials, the Ambassador said it is “one of the options on the table,” although he noted that, unlike the United States, the European Union requires unanimity among member states to impose sanctions, making it difficult for the 27-member bloc to take such steps at this time. “At this moment there is no consideration to introduce sanctions against anyone representing Georgia,” he said, but noted that the possibility exists for the future if things really “go wrong” after the elections.
Also Read:
- 20/09/2024 – EU Ambassador Stresses Free and Fair Elections in Georgia, Warns of Possible Consequences
- 20/09/2024 – EU Commission Spokesperson: EU Could Suspend Visa-Free Travel for Georgia
- 28/08/2024 – EU Concerned About GD’s Plan to Ban Opposition, Bloc Official Warns “All Options Are On The Table”