'You were elected to carry out reforms' - the EU to the Georgian opposition

The EU delegation to Georgia has called on opposition MPs to end their boycott and start working in the new parliament, which was elected in the October 31, 2020 elections.

“We urge the members of parliament to use the mandates given to them by the citizens of Georgia and to push for the implementation of ambitious electoral and judicial reforms there and thus create a good basis for the next elections.

Georgia needs an effective parliament as a central forum for political debate. […] Political leaders of both the majority and opposition parties bear a huge responsibility for finding a common language that will allow Georgia to effectively continue its democratic path,” the statement said.

The united opposition of Georgia has been holding street protests since October 31, the day of the parliamentary elections. All opposition forces called the elections rigged and are demanding a repeat vote. The eight parties that made it to parliament resigned from their seats.

The authorities, in turn, insist that the elections were free. International observers and diplomatic missions in Georgia also believe that the election results were valid, although they agree that there were many irregularities in the electoral process.

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The EU delegation expressed concern that opposition candidates refused to participate in the second round of parliamentary elections on November 21, during which majoritarian candidates were selected for 17 polling spots in parliament.

Because of the boycott, Georgian Dream MPs took all the seats.

The delegation recalled that Georgia has obligations under the Association Agreement signed with the European Union, and ‘all parties must work together to fulfill these obligations and carry out the promised reforms.’

“The European Union is ready to help Georgia in these efforts,” the statement said.