European Parliament: 'Municipal elections in Georgia were held under restrictive conditions'

Members of the European Parliament have issued a statement saying that Georgia’s municipal elections on 4 October were held under restrictive conditions and against the backdrop of months-long repression targeting civil society, independent media and the political opposition by the self-proclaimed government of the Georgian Dream party.

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“We condemn the fact that the authorities effectively obstructed the presence of credible observers. The delayed invitation to the OSCE/ODIHR and restrictions on civil society activities hindered observation by local organisations,” the statement said.

MEPs expressed concern over the “violent clashes” that erupted in the streets of Tbilisi following the vote and urged all parties to remain calm. They also called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to end its attacks on democracy, respect fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and expression, stop arresting protesters and release those unlawfully detained.

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The authors of the statement also condemned what they called an “increasingly aggressive campaign” against the European Union, including personal attacks on ambassadors, European politicians and individual member states by the Georgian government.

MEPs further criticised Georgian Dream’s declared intention to ban opposition parties, describing it as “a new peak in Georgia’s slide towards authoritarian rule.”

“We once again call on the EU and its member states to act immediately and impose targeted sanctions on key political leaders and officials of Georgian Dream responsible for democratic backsliding, election fraud, human rights violations and the persecution of political opponents and activists — in particular, Bidzina Ivanishvili and Irakli Kobakhidze,” the statement read.

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The joint statement was signed by David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; Mounir Satouri, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights; Sergey Lagodinsky, Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly; Nils Ušakovs, Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus; and Rasa Juknevičienė, the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Georgia.

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On 6 October, EU Commissioners Kaja Kallas and Marta Kosma issued a joint statement on Georgia’s municipal elections, saying they were held amid widespread suppression of dissent.

“The Georgian authorities’ delayed invitation to international observers, including the OSCE/ODIHR, undermined the transparency of the electoral process and prevented credible and meaningful international monitoring. Local organisations also refrained from observing the vote due to the repressive climate.

Many people have been continuously protesting against the ruling Georgian Dream party’s repressive policies. We call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained,” the commissioners said.

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