President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stated that suspicions about the rigging of the parliamentary elections in Georgia exist not only in Europe but also in other countries around the world. He emphasized the need for clarity regarding the process.
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“First point - I know the sincere aspiration of Georgian People for this EU membership and we made a very important decision on the EU side when we decided to grant candidate status for Georgia. On the other hand,
elections took place. There are suspicions, serious suspicions of fraud and it requires serious investigations. We need clarity about this process to make sure that everything was done in a fair and transparent way.
There are doubts about that not only in Europe, but also in countries across the world,” said Charles Michel in Budapest, prior to the informal meeting of EU leaders.
When asked whether sanctions or a review of visa liberalization are expected, Charles Michel stated that the European Council will assess the current situation and expressed confidence that European leaders will deliver a clear message.
On November 7, Charles Michel met with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze.
"He was interested in how things are developing in Georgia. I told him about the current situation, including the fact that it is very difficult for the opposition to mobilize people and that the opposition lacks popular support," Kobakhidze told Georgian journalists.
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 26. According to the Central Election Commission's data, 53.93% of voters (1,120,011 people) voted for "Georgian Dream." The legitimacy of this result is not recognized by the opposition parties that passed the threshold, with the votes distributed as follows:
- Coalition for Change (11.037%)
- Unity - National Movement (10.164%)
- Strong Georgia (8.814%)
- Gakharia for Georgia (7.771%)
Opposition parties and President Salome Zourabichvili claim that the elections were "completely falsified." The opposition is demanding new elections and an international investigation into the violations.
