European Parliament Debate on Disputed Parliamentary Elections in Georgia

European Parliament. Photo: facebook.com/europeanparliament

During the European Parliament debate on 13 November, MEPs discussed the outcome of Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections, including alleged Russian interference. The political groups agreed to change the plenary agenda to add the issue shortly before the Parliament’s session. The debate precedes the adoption of a resolution on the issue, which will be put to a vote during the EU Parliament plenary session on November 25-28.

The Vice-President of the European Commission for Promoting our European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas in his opening remarks said that the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia “were unfortunately marked be serious irregularities with violations reported both during the electoral campaign and on the election day itself.” He thanked the MEPs who participated in international observation mission and who “provided insights into the climate of intimidation and pressure that marked the electoral process.”

He further added: “Let me state this loud and clear from the start: these elections fall short of the standards expected of a country holding the EU candidate status.”

Margaritis Schinas went on to say that “the ruling party benefited from an uneven playing field, used substantial resources and instrumentalized the fear of war”, to position itself as the only political force for stability and peace. He also noted that “while the regime claimed that Georgia was moving towards the EU”, it was also suppressing dissent, adding that this played out against the opposition, “which remained relatively fragmented and lacked similar resources”.

The Vice President of the European Commission noted that following the elections several thousand Georgian citizens, gathered in peaceful demonstrations, “voicing dissatisfaction with results and conduct of elections.” He recalled that many of them were waving European flags, “and when we see that we know this is also about us, not only about them.”

He further underlined the three key points of the EU response in the aftermath of the elections:

  1. He recalled that since June this year, “the EU has responded decisively to the democratic backsliding in Georgia”, noting in particular that the EU, in coordination with Member States, has downgraded political contacts and suspended critical assistance, 30 mln Euros under the European Peace Facility and 121 mln Euros in direct assistance to the Georgian government. He recalled that Georgia’s accession process had been effectively halted. “These measures will remain in place until the authorities change the course of actions. At the same time we will continue our unwavering support of civil society and independent media, which remain the fundamental pillars of democracy,” the Vice-President said.
  2. Margaritis Schinas noted that “in the aftermath of electors the EU made its position clear through strong public statements calling on Georgian authorities to address serious irregularities reported.” He then said that HR/VP Borrell already has included Georgia on the Foreign Affairs Council on November 18 and will address potential additional measures.
  3. The Vice-President of Commission stressed: “Any future re-engagement with the Georgian leadership will be underpinned by clear and strict conditions also outlined in our enlargement report. The government must recommit to the reform agenda, including the implementation of the Nine Steps identified by the [European] Commission. It must also cease disinformation, fake news and anti-EU hate rhetoric. Specific measures are non-negotiable: the Foreign Influence law and the so-called Family Values law [anti-LGBT law] must be repealed.” He concluded: “Without this and without the implementation of democratic reforms, it will be impossible for Georgia to progress on the [EU] accession path….The conditions are out there and are clear – democracy and the rule of law. The sooner this is understood in Tbilisi the better.”

The opening remarks by the Vice-President Schinas were followed by the interventions by the MEPs.

Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė (EPP Group) denounced the election results that gave victory to the Georgian Dream, condemned the oligarchic regime, called for appropriate EU measures regarding Georgia and its government, and expressed the need for de-oligarchization of Georgia if the country wants to continue on the EU path. “Corrupt oligarchic forces, with the help of the Kremlin, are trying to take power almost everywhere in the post-Soviet space,” referring to Ukraine, Moldova and “many other places,” including Georgia. “Here, in the EU, we must be clear: the elections in Georgia were not democratic. We cannot recognize them. The Georgian Dream has not won,” she said, adding that the EU should call for a foreign, independent investigation into the elections. She noted that Georgia’s EU candidate status has already been “frozen” and will remain so. “We will need to reassess if Georgia remains eligible for visa-free status,” said MEP Juknevičienė. She added, “We can no longer justify EU bilateral assistance to Georgian state institutions.” However, she lamented, stressing that “the Georgian people deserve better” for supporting a pro-European path. “From now on, the EU must be very clear to both: Georgian society and the Georgian Dream, that stole the elections from them. EU membership is not compatible with an oligarchic system,” she said, elaborating that Georgia’s EU membership will be possible only after “deBidzinization,” a term coined to refer to the ruling party’s billionaire patron Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Italian MEP Giorgio Gori (S&D) praised the European aspirations of the Georgian people, expressed in mass pro-European street protests, and called for more EU support for them. “Unfortunately, on October 26, voters did not have the opportunity to speak freely and many irregularities were noted during the voting process,” he said, also citing Russia’s “violent fake news campaign,” the Russian-style foreign agents law and anti-LGBT legislation, which he said “move Georgia further away from its path to EU accession.” He praised Georgian society, which he described as “one of the most pro-European” of the candidate countries, saying, “We have a great responsibility […] to use all the tools at our disposal to support, nurture and protect these aspirations, so that the people of Georgia can live in a country free of corruption, which respects fundamental freedoms, rights and democracy.” 

Hungarian MEP András László (PfE Group), who said he observed the Georgian elections on voting day, claimed the elections were free and fair. He said civil society observers, opposition party observers, and voters told him they trusted the integrity of the elections. He downplayed the scale of violent incidents on election day, saying it was “nothing that could not happen anywhere else.” He also said, “The fraud claims don’t even come close to the massive victory of the Georgian Dream party.” He lashed out at EU politicians who, he said, “tried to destabilize Georgia and fuel the protests.” “Georgians made a democratic choice; even if many don’t like it in the EU, we should respect their choice,” he said. He also referred to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s promise, voiced after the elections, that the opening of EU accession talks would remain Georgia’s priority, and called for continued partnership and the opening of accession talks with Georgia. 

Polish MEP Małgorzata Gosiewska (ECR Group) said the GD government had led the country into authoritarianism, further pointing to the Russian links of the Georgian leadership, and called for the isolation of the GD government “by freezing European funds, introducing visa regimes and creating a cordon sanitaire around representatives of this regime internationally.”

French MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Group), who was part of an international observation mission on October 26, pointed to a series of violations she said she saw on election day, including the violation of the secrecy of the ballot and the taking of people’s identity cards. She then recalled the mass street protests after the elections and stressed that the Georgian people hope that the EU will not abandon them. “The Georgian Dream is turning into a Georgian nightmare. They are turning to Vladimir Putin and want to ban the opposition parties,” she said, noting that the EU’s response to the government is strong but “not correctly tailored.” She said the EU should support those fighting for the country’s European future. 

Czech MEP Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA Group), who also observed the Georgian elections, said she witnessed “direct manipulation” across the country, including incidents of ballot stuffing, fraudulent behavior, lack of voter secrecy and intimidation. “Let’s also not forget that this was part of a broader pattern of democratic backsliding in recent months by the Georgian government,” she said, adding, “There is absolutely no way we can call these elections fair now.” She called for an investigation into the elections and for targeted sanctions against those responsible. She also said, “We must stand firmly with the Georgian people in their rightful pursuit of democracy.”

Italian MEP Danilo Della Valle (The Left Group) cited an OSCE report and said “it did not confirm any accusations of large-scale fraud”. “But now we are threatening them [Georgia] with freezing their accession process, simply because the majority in this Parliament and the Commission don’t like the winners,” he said. He also accused the EU of “double standards” and “hypocrisy” in its assessment of the Georgian elections compared to those in Moldova, and such an attitude has “led to the EU losing all credibility”.

Slovak MEP Milan Uhrík (Europe of Sovereign Nations Group) claimed that the Georgian people chose not to support pro-European parties for what he described as good reasons, citing a number of anti-European arguments, including opposition to LGBT “propaganda” and fears about Georgia’s possible involvement in a war with Russia.

German MEP David McAllister (EPP Group) highlighted last year’s granting of EU candidate status to Georgia, which he said was a “historic” decision based on the understanding that necessary reforms would follow. He said EU candidate status was “an enormous opportunity” for Georgia to move closer to European accession. “Unfortunately, recent developments in Georgia have raised serious concerns about the direction of the country and the intentions of the government in Tbilisi,” he said, noting that the “tense and polarized” pre-election environment, with reported violations, had reinforced “the increasingly authoritarian agenda pushed by the Georgian Dream party.” Speaking of the European aspirations of the Georgian people, he said, “Georgians do not want to be part of Mr. Putin’s orbit.” He called for the reported election irregularities to be investigated and addressed immediately.

Spanish MEP Marcos Ros Sempere (S&D) spoke of a number of reported electoral irregularities. “We want to talk to the Georgian authorities,” he said, expressing his belief in Georgia’s EU accession path, but noting that “the government has a lot to do”. He stressed that questions about the quality and conduct of the elections must be addressed. “Suspicions of electoral fraud are totally unacceptable,” he concluded. 

French MEP Thierry Mariani (PfE Group) accused European leaders of interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs, including what he sees as calls for revolution. He called on them to stop “destabilizing” Georgia “unless the EU wants to act like the USSR.” 

Lithuanian MEP Dainius Žalimas (Renew Group) said that the EU must follow two key principles when discussing the ongoing processes in Georgia: 1. Taking into account reports of electoral fraud. “The election results cannot be considered legitimate,” he said; 2. The representativeness of the Georgian parliament. “The new Georgian parliament appears to be a one-party body,” he said. Accordingly, MEP Žalimas said that the EU’s response must be “strong” and urged the EU to call for an independent international investigation into the elections and accountability for those responsible for the alleged fraud, as well as to support Georgia’s civil society and democratic forces in their efforts to hold new elections.

German MEP Hans Neuhoff (Europe of Sovereign Nations Group) claimed that the Georgian elections were “properly” conducted, that the elections were “democratic” with “a clear winner”. “There was absolutely no sense of repression,” he said, noting that he observed election day on the ground. “Georgians are a proud people; they are open to Europe, but they do not want to submit to Brussels’ ‘rainbow’ agenda,” said the representative of Germany’s far-right AfD party. 

Slovak independent MEP Ľuboš Blaha congratulated Georgian Dream on its official victory, spoke of how his party and GD have much in common, and slammed the West and the EU for “progressive authoritarianism.”

Croatia’s MEP Davor Ivo Stier (EPP) spoke of Russian influences in Georgia, as well as in Moldova and the Western Balkans, and called for more support for democratic and European forces in these countries. 

Austrian MEP Reinhold Lopatka (EPP) said the elections cannot be considered fair due to various reported irregularities before and on election day. He also warned that if the GD government, which he said is pointing towards Europe but heading towards Russia, does not change course, the country will fail on its European path. 

Estonian MEP Jüri Ratas (EPP) said “Georgia is part of Europe”, but also noted that the country has lost democratic values and distanced itself from Europe, blaming Russian influences in the country. He called for the restoration of the visa regime with Georgia, targeted sanctions against oligarchs, but also stressed that ordinary Georgian citizens should not be punished. German independent

Germany’s independent MEP Lukas Sieper refrained from a direct assessment of the elections, but emphasized the Georgian government’s Russian stance, which he said is reflected in Russian-style legislation. “Georgia is a European country and we have to fight for its European future,” he said.

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