We are very concerned in the US and we are closely monitoring the elections in Georgia, said Dafna RAND, Assistant Secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
The Assistant Secretary of state made a speech during the discussion organized by “International Republican Institute” and “Atlantic Council”, in which she also spoke about current events in Georgia.
In her speech she spoke extensively about Georgia and Russia’s decision to remove instabile democracies from the world and the neighborhood.
In the context Georgia, she spoke about Moscow’s attempts to support a political party that “basically copied what Russia did in its own country.”
According to Dafna, the US is worried about the election on October 26 because it cannot be fair without free debate and competition.
“In the past few years, Russia made a decision to actively try and overthrow and disturb democratically elected government, targeting the weakest, most unstable. They have a manual that they use to find [targets] within its immediate vicinity. It is also trying to avoid democratic competition in other parts of the world where there are internal conflicts between ruling elites or parties. This is the method they use.
I want to speak a little about Georgia because it is really alarming right now for us in the US Government. On October 26, there will be very competitive elections after the 12-year rule by “Georgian Dream”. We’re witnessing an event in which Russia is trying support this party. This party has essentially copied what Russia did at home, such as by passing the “foreign agent” law which restricts civil societies, human rights organizations, and restricts the ability of expressing alternative ideas, criticizing, or introducing new ideas. The proposal, which everyone at the International Republican Institute understands is crucial to healthy elections, is an opportunity to discuss the issues.
Since January-February, Russia, Georgian Dream, and other countries have been trying to limit the space for political opposition in so many different ways and on such a high level that the State Department has responded with its visa restrictions mechanism, to stop those who have come up with the “foreign idea of the law agents”.
We are therefore very concerned about this election, because it cannot be fair without a free debate and competition. It’s not a problem that “Georgian Dream”, wins fairly. The problem is they have limited the Georgian people’s ability to freely express themselves.
80% of Georgians want to be closer to the European Union. People want to be closer with the European Union and go through the EU accession reform process. The Russian intervention and the restriction of space are aimed at pushing Georgian government and people back into the orbit of Russia. This is unacceptable.
Rand said, “I’ll stop talking about Georgia now, but I think you’ve got the main idea that we’re concerned and that the US government, as well the US Congress, is watching [the elections] at the highest levels.”
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