Georgia’s parliament speaker slams foreign envoys for interference in elections

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused the European Union of interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs, particularly during last year’s parliamentary elections.

He criticised what he described as the imposition of “false dilemmas” by the EU, calling the bloc’s actions a clear encroachment on the country’s sovereignty, Caliber.Az reports via the Georgian press.

“We have the bitter experience of the October 26 elections, in which the European Union — through various manifestations, member states, and different institutions — interfered in the elections in Georgia. This is a fact,” he stated.

He went on to name specific actors, saying that EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński personally interfered in the electoral process, as did representatives from several EU member states, particularly from the Baltic region.

Papuashvili emphasised that the Georgian government had previously refrained from publicly addressing these concerns out of respect for its international partners. However, he said the situation had reached a point where silence was no longer an option.

“Why are we an independent country then? Why do we have borders? These are not only physical borders, but also the borders of our sovereignty. A foreign ambassador has no business interfering in our elections,” Papuashvili asserted.

In his remarks, he also pointed to what he viewed as a more transparent stance taken by German Ambassador Peter Fischer, who, according to Papuashvili, openly admitted that he represents Germany’s national interests and would prioritise them over those of the Georgian people if a conflict of interest arose.

“This is a fair approach,” Papuashvili said, contrasting it with the behaviour of certain individuals within Georgia whom he accused of prioritising the agendas of foreign powers over their own country's interests.

By Tamilla Hasanova