President of Georgia Refuses to Recognise Parliamentary Election Results, EU Cites Serious Violations

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to recognise the parliamentary elections, the results of which she called ‘totally rigged’ and ‘a new form of hybrid warfare tested on the Georgian people’.

‘I do not recognise these elections. These elections cannot be recognised. This is the same as recognising Russia's entry here, Russia's conquest of Georgia. I did not come to the country for this. Our ancestors did not live for this, and we will not accept it. No one can take away Georgia's European future,’ Zurabishvili said.

The Central Election Commission of Georgia should take into account the findings of the ODIHR/OSCE observers on the organisation of the parliamentary elections in Georgia, make efforts to eliminate all identified violations, and restore the trust of the country's citizens in the electoral process.

This is stated in a joint statement by the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the full text of which was published on the European Commission's website on Sunday.

‘On Saturday, 26 October, voters in Georgia cast their ballots in the parliamentary elections. The EU has closely followed the events leading up to these parliamentary elections. Over the past months, the people of Georgia have demonstrated their commitment to democratic values and their country's European path. According to the preliminary findings of the international election observation mission, led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR/OSCE), election day was generally well-organised and administered in an orderly manner, but was accompanied by a tense atmosphere, with frequent violations of the secrecy of the vote and procedural irregularities,’ the statement said.

According to the statement, intimidation and pressure on voters had a negative effect on public confidence in the electoral process. Such pressure on voters, especially on public sector employees, was widely used during the election campaign. These circumstances, accompanied by active attempts to monitor voters' actions on election day, raised concerns about the ability of some voters to cast their ballots without fear of retaliation.

In addition, according to the statement, international election observers noted unequal conditions for election participants, a polarised and tense atmosphere of the election process, and the negative impact on voting procedures of recently adopted legislative amendments.

‘We call on the Central Election Commission of Georgia and other authorities to fulfil their duty to investigate and legally assess electoral violations and claims in a prompt, transparent and independent manner. These violations must be clarified and resolved. This is a necessary step to restore confidence in the electoral process,’ the document says.

As noted, the EU expects the final conclusions and recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR report to be implemented as soon as possible.