U.S, Europe Call For Full Probe Into Reported Election Violations In Georgia

The United States and European allies have joined calls from observers for a full probe into reports of election-related violations in Georgia, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken issued a statement Sunday night, just hours after Georgia's president Salome Zourabichvili refused to recognise the official results claiming the country, as she put it, fell victim to a “Russian special operation” aimed at moving it off a path toward Europe.

"While international and local observers agreed that Election Day was generally well administered, we note reports of irregularities and sporadic violence," Blinken noted in his statement highlighting the “uneven playing field” of this election due to misused resources, vote buying, voter intimidation.

"International observers have not declared the result to be free and fair.  We condemn all contraventions of international norms and join calls from international and local observers for a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations," he added.

Going forward, Blinken said, "we encourage Georgia's political leaders to respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together."

"Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration goals, enshrined in the country’s constitution, require that the government respect the rights of members of civil society and the fundamental freedoms of all Georgian citizens," the Secretary concluded.

Georgia's government-controlled Central Election Commission said Sunday that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, got 54.8 percent of Saturday’s vote with almost all of the ballots counted. The pro-Russian ruling party has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on freedom of speech.

In a run up to Saturday's election, the Western allies had mostly suspended their relations with the GD, because of a Russian-style “foreign influence law,” passed in June. Many Georgians viewed Saturday’s vote as a referendum on the opportunity to join the European Union.

In a separate statement Sunday afternoon, the EU has also called for an investigation into election “irregularities”. EU Council chief Charles Michel urged the Georgian authorities to “swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof."  “These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed,” he noted.

The European Parliament also expressed concern about democratic backsliding, saying it had seen instances of “ballot box stuffing” and the “physical assault” of observers.