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Top parliamentarians from Europe and Canada believe that the 26 October parliamentary elections in Georgia were neither free nor fair, and therefore the European Union should not recognise the results and should impose personal sanctions.

Source: The joint statement of the parliamentarians, obtained by European Pravda

Details: The statement was signed by the chairmen of the committees on foreign and European affairs of Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Ireland, Ukraine, Poland, Canada, as well as the deputy speaker of the Swedish parliament and one MEP.

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Leading parliamentarians from these countries said that the political climate in Georgia on the eve of the election was incompatible with European standards of fairness.

“Candidates were intimidated and threatened, state power was abused, votes were bought. The reports of the international election observer missions clearly confirm this. There is therefore considerable election fraud also through intimidation and vote buying on election day,” the statement said.

The parliamentarians stressed that the policy of the Georgian Dream is incompatible with the EU, and the treacherous fear campaign of the “global war party” has fallen on fertile ground. 

“There is only one ‘global war party’, you should call it by name. Its name is Russia. Against this background, the European Union cannot recognise the result. We demand personal sanctions against those responsible for unfair electoral influence, intimidation and threats against the opposition and civil society,” the MEPs said.

At the same time, they emphasised that the pro-European part of society should not be abandoned now. They dismiss collective punishment for all Georgians, such as the suspension of visa liberalisation.

“We are very concerned about a ‘Belarusification’ of the country. If the ruling party and its leader follow their announcements with actions, there is a threat of persecution and prohibition of the opposition, independent media and critical non-governmental organisations. The EU must make it clear to the governing party that it will not accept this and in this case a complete termination of relations will follow,” the message reads. 

The MPs reiterated their strong support for President Salome Zurabishvili’s efforts to unite the country, protect democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, and preserve and ensure Georgia’s European future.

According to reports, Zurabishvili will make his first public comment following the parliamentary election results on Sunday evening.

After counting nearly all of the ballots, Georgia’s Central Election Committee announced that the ruling party Georgian Dream received more than 54% of the vote.

Opposition pro-European parties reject the CEC’s reported results and refer to widespread irregularities. Opposition groups did not accept the preliminary election results.

According to international observers, Georgia’s elections were characterised by profound polarisation, exceedingly controversial electoral rhetoric, and numerous instances of voter intimidation.

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