Four Georgian opposition parties appeal to EU's chief diplomat, foreign ministers
Georgian opposition urges EU action
Four pro-Western opposition parties in Georgia, which surpassed the 5% threshold in the October 26 parliamentary elections, have appealed to Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the foreign ministers of EU member states regarding alleged election fraud. In a joint letter, the four parties claim they collectively received 52% of the votes, but the ruling party, Georgian Dream, falsified the results.
As evidence of the fraud, the Georgian opposition cites the results of exit polls conducted by independent research organizations such as Edison Research and HarrisX, as well as reports from non-governmental organizations documenting election violations.
The opposition parties are calling on the European Union to refuse to recognize the elections and take the following steps to pressure the Georgian authorities:
- Conduct an investigation into election fraud as well as domestic and external interference in the elections;
- Urge the Georgian authorities not to convene parliament until the investigation is completed and assessed;
- Announce a suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process;
- Cease all communication with the Georgian authorities;
- Suspend funding for Georgia’s public sector (approximately €120 million) until the election investigation results are known, redirecting the funds to NGOs and independent media.
In their letter, the opposition parties emphasize that their main demand is to hold new parliamentary elections in 2025 after improving the electoral environment.
Today, 18 November, the EU Foreign Affairs Council is discussing the current situation in Georgia. The issue is second on the agenda, following the situation in Ukraine.
Ahead of the meeting, Josep Borrell commented, stating that claims of election unfairness must be investigated.
“Of course, [the elections] must be investigated. What happened needs to be assessed. You cannot claim that elections were unfair and not investigate them. We urge the [Georgian] government to shed light on what people are asking for. [The government] must be held accountable,” Borrell said.
According to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the public is “concerned about the activities of the radical opposition.”
Georgian opposition urges EU action
