Both the Foreign Ministries of Latvia (October 27) and Lithuania (October 28) released statements regarding the Georgian parliamentary election, both questioning electoral process. The Latvian Foreign Ministry demands an investigation into all violations reported by local and international monitors, while the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry does not find it easy to recognize these elections as fair and free.
Latvian MFA Statement
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia expressed “serious concern” over the findings of international and local election observers. The MFA notes the elections were held “in the face of a pronounced polarisation between the political power, and the opposition.” The MFA notes that the elections “were held in the face of a pronounced political polarisation, amid tensions between the political power and the opposition.”
“Latvia calls upon the Georgian authorities immediately to investigate the violations identified in order to ensure the confidence of local and international communities in the electoral process as well as the protection of citizens’ rights. The Georgian government and law enforcement must respect the rights of Georgian citizens in order to express their opinions in elections conducted according to all democratic principles. In its statement, the MFA stresses that the assessment of the results of the elections must be made by the citizens of Georgia. It also notes that it will “closely monitor developments in the country.”
Lithuanian MFA Declaration
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry stated that “the unprecedented number of incidents and systematic violations, both during the electoral campaign as well as on the voting day,” as well as the “massive attacks against political opponents of ruling party as civil society organizations,” along with “the systemic disinformation in the election campaign and the use by state institutions and administrative resource throughout the entire electoral process,” make it “difficult for Lithuania to recognize these elections” as fair and free.
“These violations were registered by many independent international and local observers. The seriousness of the violations and the systemic nature, as well as the sharp discrepancy in the results between the independent exit polls as well as the declared results, calls into question the legitimacy of the elections and their final outcome. The MFA released a statement that stated, “The President of Georgia refused to accept the results.”
“The democratic rights Georgians must be respected.” Any attempt to undermine these rights is totally unacceptable. We demand an independent international investigation of these elections, and all reported violations that occurred during them, as a matter urgently,” says the MFA. “Georgia’s EU accession has already been halted due to the adoption by the Georgian Parliament of highly controversial legislation. The violations in Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections complicate this path further. Georgia’s ruling parties and leaders are responsible for all the consequences.”
The statement concludes with: “We are confident that the EU will continue to suspend its political contacts and freeze its financial assistance for Georgian Government. Defensive measures against those responsible must also be considered immediately. Lithuania will continue to stand with the Georgians and their European choice. We will continue to support Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence within its internationally recognized borders.
Read More @ civil.ge