Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Criticizes French President
The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, has spoken out against comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron. Papuashvili criticized Macron for saying that Russia interfered with elections in Georgia.
Papuashvili said that Macron’s statement was based on false information. He emphasized that respect for the will of the Georgian people is very important. “We did not fight to gain independence from Soviet Russia just to have foreign politicians interfering in our democratic process,” he said.
Papuashvili also criticized a comment made by the French ambassador to Georgia, Sheraz Gasri. Gasri suggested that new elections could help resolve the political crisis in Georgia. Papuashvili called this “disrespectful” to Georgian voters.
The Speaker of the Parliament warned that if foreign leaders continue commenting on Georgia’s government, they can expect Georgia to scrutinize their own political situations. This is a reference to legitimacy crises in some European countries.
Papuashvili pointed out that an individual was caught tampering with ballots in one election and was detained. He said that this incident does not prove widespread interference.
French President Macron had previously mentioned Russia’s alleged interference in elections in Georgia, Armenia, and Moldova.