EU & U.S. Embassies Release Statements Following Run-Offs

By Natalia Kochiashvili

Tuesday, November 2

“We are particularly troubled by credible reports of violence against election observers and the media during both rounds of the election. These groups are the cornerstone of any democracy, and attacks against members of the media and election observers must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The phase of random recounts of at least 140 precincts and the adjudication of hundreds of complaints is the ‘test and an opportunity for the CEC and courts, and it will be critical for these institutions to perform their duties transparently and impartially.”

The embassies of Georgia’s strategic partners - the European Union (EU) and the United States of America have issued comments following the second round of the 2021 local elections, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party has won 19 of 20 mayoral constituencies and overall received 47% of the vote in the proportional part of the race.

The United National Movement and other opposition parties say that the elections were ‘fabricated’. The opposition announced rallies in regions and a large rally in capital Tbilisi on November 7, demanding the annulment of the election results.

The Ambassador of the EU in Georgia Carl Hartzel, in coordination with EU Heads of Mission, commended once more the voters, the electoral staff, and local observers for all their efforts and engagement amid the COVID-19 pandemic and welcomed the International Election Observation Mission carried out by the OSCE/ODIHR and the European Parliament for this second round.

This mission again concluded that the elections were generally well administered and that the campaign was competitive, it also observed an escalation of negative rhetoric, persistent allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters, and sharp imbalances in resources, which benefited the ruling party and tilted the playing field.

Hartzel recalled that following the first round, the EU stated that the reported malpractices must not become a norm in Georgia and deplored these elections as ‘a missed opportunity in this respect.' The statement underscored that despite a clear assessment by the international observers, meaningful steps were not taken to address key shortcomings.

“On the contrary, further shortcomings have emerged, especially in terms of misuse of administrative resources and violent rhetoric by Georgia’s political leaders, further fuelling an already deep political polarisation. Suggestions made before these elections that the central government would not cooperate with local councils, should they swing towards another majority, are of concern as they seek to restrict the electorate’s choice and to limit pluralism.”

The statement emphasized the importance of public trust which requires an inclusive, credible, and transparent recounting process and fair adjudication of complaints and appeals, and underlined the key responsibility of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and courts.

The EU delegation expressed hope that genuine efforts will be made by Georgian leaders to build a political climate conducive to meeting the expectations of the citizens of the country, that includes fulfilling repeated commitments on meaningful reforms, notably in the judiciary, as well as resuming the implementation of our agreed EU-Georgia agenda, based on the values of democracy, respect for human rights and upholding the rule of law.

Likewise, the U.S embassy shared ODIHR’s assessment and recalled that ODIHR noted concerns with the persistent practice of representatives of observer organizations acting as party supporters, at times interfering with the process, and groups of individuals potentially influencing voters outside some polling stations. While ODIHR found that the CEC organized the 2nd round professionally and transparently, concerns over the impartiality of the lower-level election commissions persisted. U.S. Embassy election observation teams witnessed similar interference and bias at several precincts.

The statement reminded me that democracy is a work in progress that requires dedication to the highest international standards and vigilance to ensure citizens’ rights and freedoms are protected.

Embassy emphasized that some of the reforms enacted by Georgia’s political leaders through an inclusive, multiparty process earlier this year, such as automatic recounts and electronic vote counting, largely succeeded in increasing the transparency of the voting process. However, according to the statement, ‘these positive steps forward were undermined, unfortunately, by wide-spread violations in the pre-election period and on both election days that adversely affected the ability of citizens to vote freely.’

“Rather than improving the atmosphere by addressing problems identified by election observers in the 1st round, intimidation, offensive rhetoric, misuse of administrative resources, and reports of blatant vote-buying and other violations continued, and a politicized media further inflamed the polarized atmosphere.”

The Embassy called on the parties to use the legal mechanisms available and pursue peaceful means to adjudicate election disputes since democracy will not be strengthened by resorting to violence or pursuing solutions outside the law. The statement urged Georgian leaders ‘to enact and implement all the remaining reforms recommended by ODIHR, the Venice Commission, and other international experts’ that were provided at Parliament’s request and would be a significant step toward ensuring the next elections are an improvement over the last.

The letter reaffirmed the American people’s support to Georgia’s efforts throughout the long, challenging process of building strong institutions, a robust civil society, a professional, pluralistic media, and a government that is responsive to the people.

“The recent elections and Georgia’s deeply divisive political environment show much more work is urgently needed. The U.S. has offered our friendship as an honest partner to the people and government because we believe in Georgia’s future as a stable, prosperous democracy that respects the rule of law, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.”