The ex-Soviet country should not sway from Euro-Atlantic integration, the State Department has warned
Washington has threatened the country of Georgia with “consequences,” as the opposition accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of rigging Saturday’s parliamentary election.
According to the official tally, the Georgian Dream received almost 54% of the vote, while various opposition parties received between 11% and 3%. The victory is expected to give Georgian Dream at least 90 seats in the 150-member national parliament. It will allow the party to form the next government since a 76-strong majority is needed to pick a prime minister and the cabinet.
Four pro-Western opposition parties have refused to recognize its results and said they would not be taking part in the work of the new legislature. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili did not recognize the results either and called for protests. A large demonstration was held outside the parliament building Tbilisi on Monday evening.
During a press conference on Monday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller argued that the election was held in an “environment shaped by the ruling party’s policies including misuse of public resources, vote buying and voter intimidation.”
“We encourage Georgia’s governing officials to consider the relationship they want with the Euro-Atlantic community rather than strengthening policies that are praised by authoritarians,” Miller added.
“We do not rule out further consequences if the Georgian government’s direction does not change,” he said, urging Tbilisi to start “withdrawing and repealing anti-democratic legislation.”
Earlier on Monday, 13 EU member states issued a statement, expressing “deep concern about the current situation in Georgia” and demanding “an impartial inquiry of complaints and remedy of the violations established.”
Western governments have accused Georgia of democratic backsliding and warned that its recent policies could hamper the country’s aspirations to join the EU. In 2024, the Georgian parliament approved controversial laws that allow to label NGOs “foreign agents” and ban LGBTQ “propaganda” to minors, both of which sparked protests.
The Georgian government has insisted that it would like to ultimately join the EU but on its own terms. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze argued that the laws were designed to ensure Georgia’s sovereignty and the interests of its people.
“The opposition cannot get over their defeat in the election,” Kobakhidze said on Saturday, accusing his opponents of undermining the law. “No one can undermine the constitutional system of our country,” he warned.
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