“Pre-electoral environment marked by the improper use of public resources by the party in power” at the origin of the investigation request by the United States.
The head of US diplomacy has requested an investigation into possible fraud in the legislative elections in Georgia, won by the pro-Russian party in power, a result questioned by the pro-European opposition.
“We condemn all violations of international norms,” said Antony Blinken. Like international and local observers, The United States calls for “a full investigation of all reports of electoral violations,” according to a statement from the United States Secretary of State, published Sunday night.
Observers noted “a pre-electoral environment marked by the misuse of public resources by the party in power, the buying of votes and voter intimidation, which contributed to creating an uneven playing field and undermined public and international confidence in the possibility of a fair result,” Blinken lamented.
Hours earlier, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, had also asked the Georgian electoral authorities to investigate the legislative irregularities, indicating that the EU “will assess the situation and determine the next steps” in relations with the country, in the Budapest meeting. at the beginning of next month.
The opposition considers that The foreseeable victory of the party in power, Georgian Dream, will bring the country closer to Moscow, moving away from EU membership, such an important goal for a large part of the population, enshrined in the Constitution.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), NATO and the EU affirmed on Sunday that the legislative elections were “marked by inequalities [entre candidatos]pressures and tensions.
Georgian election observers deployed across the country also reported multiple violations and said the results did not reflect “the will of the Georgian people.”
In Tbilisi, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili sided with the opposition, saying the country was the victim of a Russian “special operation.”
Zourabichvili called on Georgians to demonstrate at 7 pm this Monday (3:00 p.m. in Lisbon) on the main street of the capital to protest against the result, which he considered a “total falsification, a total theft.”
The Central Election Commission declared that the Georgian Dream obtained 54.8% of the votes, when practically 100% of the ballots were counted.
Source: Observadora
