U.S, Europe Call For Full Probe Into Reported Election Violations In Georgia
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.
Politics
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In Georgia’s parliamentary elections, the ruling "Georgian Dream" party achieved a significant majority in areas with large Armenian and Azerbaijani populations: Akhalkalaki – 88%, Ninotsminda – 90%, Marneuli – 80%, Bolnisi – 81%, Tetritskaro – 68.6%, Dmanisi – 76.4%, Tsalka – 69.3%, and Gardabani – 70.8%. Footage of ballot-stuffing in Marneuli circulated widely on social media in Georgia and beyond. Meanwhile, "Georgian Dream" lost in Tbilisi, where national minorities are few.
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President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev congratulated Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the results of the parliamentary elections held in Georgia and the victory of the Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party.
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On October 26, the President of COP29, Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev met with John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the U.S. President on International Climate Policy, information on the COP29 page on the social platform "X."
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Iran has informed Israel through a mediator that it will refrain from retaliating against an airstrike carried out by Israeli forces on the night of Saturday, October 26. This was reported by Sky News Arabia on its blog on platform X, citing an anonymous source.
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