The European Parliament did not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia and called for new ones

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it did not recognize the parliamentary elections in Georgia held on October 26, 2024.

This was reported in the European Parliament.

The resolution was supported by 444 MEPs, 72 voted contra, and 82 abstained.

The MEPs condemned numerous violations during the elections held on October 26 — there are confirmed cases of intimidation of voters, vote manipulation, and interference in the work of observers and journalists. They noted that the official results, according to which the pro-government party "Georgian Dream" won, "do not reflect the will of the Georgian people" — and called for new elections to be held under international supervision.

The European Parliament also calls on the European Union to impose personal sanctions on Georgian officials who are considered responsible for "anti-democratic actions" and violations of voting rules. These are the prime minister of Georgia Iraklii Kobakhidze, the mayor of Tbilisi and the general secretary of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" Kakha Kaladze, the speaker of the parliament Shalva Papuashvili and the oligarch and founder of "Georgian Dream" Bidzina Ivanishvili.

The resolution also calls for a review of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens if the country does not comply with EU standards in the field of democratic governance and freedoms.

Elections in Georgia

Parliamentary elections in Georgia were held on October 26, 2024. According to the Central Election Commission, the pro-government party "Georgian Dream — Democratic Georgia" won with 53.9% of the vote. According to Georgian laws, this party gets the right to single-handedly form the government.

Four more pro-Western opposition parties overcame the 5% barrier: "Coalition for Changes" — 10.92%, "Unity — National Movement" — 10.12%, "Strong Georgia" — 8.78% and "Gakharia — for Georgia" — 7.76%. The opposition and the president did not agree with the results and started protests.

At the beginning of November, the court of the city of Tetri-Tskaro in the south of Georgia satisfied the lawsuit to annul the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections. The reason is a violation of the secrecy of the vote. The invalidity of the results was established at 30 polling stations. Later, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal overturned the decision of judge Volodymyr Khuchua, who confirmed the violation of the secrecy of voting in the parliamentary elections.

Deputies of the opposition coalitions "Unity — National Movement" and "For Change" in Georgia announced their withdrawal from the new parliament. They accuse the ruling party "Georgian Dream" of falsifications during the elections.

As early as December 14, 2024, presidential elections are to be held in Georgia. For the first time, he will be elected not by the population, but by the Electoral College. It consists of 300 people — Georgian deputies and members of the Verkhovna Rada of Adjara and the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic (in exile). Opposition MPs will probably not take part in the vote.

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