Congressional elections were held in Georgia on Saturday. The Central Election Commission announced that Georgian Dream, which had been in power for 12 years, had won, while opposition-friendly television reported their victory. There were also differences in exit polls. On Sunday, the country's President Salome Zurabishvili said she did not recognize the results because it was a “technical special operation” carried out by Russia. The situation in Georgia caused an uproar almost all over the world.
Georgia legislative elections. Comments from around the world
Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Bladze said: “What a shame. We thank the Georgian people who went to the polls en masse despite the threats. Their aspirations for the future of Europe were founded in this country. It must be respected by all governments.”
Latvia's LETA agency says the current government, formed by billionaire Bijin Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream party, has begun to copy President Vladimir Putin's policies and reproduce the Kremlin's anti-Western rhetoric. They write that Georgia's relationship as a candidate for EU membership depends on: This election.
In response, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement: “The United States will continue to urge political leaders in Georgia to respect the rule of law, repeal laws that undermine fundamental freedoms, and address shortcomings in the electoral process.” We encourage a collective response.”
See also: Georgia: President does not recognize election results. “Operation Russia”
Blinken also stressed that Washington will join observers' calls for a full investigation into reports of election-related violations.
“The country may be on the brink of a political crisis” after President Salome Zurabishvili questioned the legality of parliamentary elections and called on people to protest, says the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) says Ryhor Nijnikau, a senior researcher at .
“Saturday's vote took place in an extremely tense and polarized atmosphere,” said Pia Kauma, a member of the Finnish parliament and head of the OSCE parliament and head of the election observation mission in Tbilisi. “I wondered if it was an election,” he said. He said this in an interview with STT News Agency.
The tense situation in Georgia. “You may fall into Russia's arms again.”
The report said there were violations at some facilities, including the use of physical violence and illegally placing votes in ballot boxes. “This election can hardly be considered fair, especially since according to the exit polls of opposition media, the pro-European opposition coalition should have won more votes,” Nizhnikau said. In his opinion, “the protests are unlikely to change the situation unless the party in power uses force against demonstrators or makes other serious mistakes.”
Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsakna said international reporting and the Georgian president's position “make it impossible to recognize these elections as free and fair.” “Georgians have the right to vote freely and honestly and decide about their future,” the minister said.
Marko Mikkelson, head of the Estonian parliament's foreign affairs committee, commented: “If we rig the elections, we won't be able to join the EU, but we can return to Russia's hands.'' “This is probably what the ruling party wants, against the will of the majority of society,” he said on social media.
See: The Russians did everything in their power to capture the city. Detailed information provided
According to Mikkelson, “If Georgians allow their will to be suppressed, Russia will achieve its goal and Georgia will become like Belarus, which will encourage further crimes and aggression by the Kremlin.'' I just encourage them.”
However, Radosław Sikorski, head of Poland's foreign ministry, said the results differed from the exit polls and the election was “not fully democratic.”
・We look forward to the reaction of international observers, but the results are different from the exit polls, and it appears that the election was not completely democratic. I am very concerned about this situation, as this election was probably an important day in determining the direction of Georgia, although I will defer to the comments of international observers, he said.
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