EU encourages Georgia’s parties to resolve election disputes peacefully

The European Union, represented by the European Commission (EC), calls on all political forces in Georgia for a peaceful and constructive settlement of the problems that emerged after the elections in the country.

Nabila Massrali, EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the remarks at a press conference in Brussels.

“Of course, we take note of the declaration of the president and opposition parties. We will continue to closely follow the developments and we call on all parties to address the issues in a constructive and peaceful manner,” she said.

Notably, on October 26, the streets of Tbilisi were engulfed by a wave of discontent after the Central Election Commission announced the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the parliamentary elections, which was challenged by the opposition.

Georgian Dream won 54.8 per cent of the vote in almost all polling stations, further consolidating its power in a country deeply divided over whether to maintain closer ties with the West or strengthen relations with Russia. Opposition leaders claim the election was manipulated, saying it did not reflect the fair sentiments of the population.

President Salome Zourabichvili declared the parliamentary elections to be entirely fraudulent and called on citizens to protest against the election results, urging them to gather at Tbilisi’s parliament building on October 28 evening. Meanwhile, ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili appealed to opposition forces to boycott the election results and organise mass protests. 

By Khagan Isayev