Georgian official dismisses election fraud claims, welcomes EU expert mission

The Georgian government has expressed its readiness to collaborate with a group of European Union experts to assess the situation in the country following the recent parliamentary elections, according to Kakha Kaladze, secretary-general of the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party and mayor of Tbilisi.

“Of course, we are ready to work [with the EU mission]. There are no problems at all. Even on the second day after the elections, the Prime Minister [Irakli Kobakhidze] came out and directly said: if there are any questions, please, here are the polling stations, let's recount,” Kaladze told reporters, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

Kaladze further emphasized that the parliamentary elections were conducted in a calm and competitive environment, supported by reports from international observers.

“I have been participating in elections since 2012, and I don’t remember such a calm environment. There is no reason for these elections to be considered rigged, as there are no such facts in nature,” he said.

In response to the electoral controversy, the European Union plans to send a technical mission to Georgia to investigate potential violations, following concerns over the election results. This was confirmed by EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell, who addressed the issue after a meeting with EU foreign ministers on the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia.

“The leaders of the Georgian Dream have alienated the country from the European Union. They are opposing the aspirations of the Georgian people for the country to be on the way to the European Union. We all want one thing, for Georgia to return to the European path and efforts are needed for this,” Borrell stated.

Opposition parties in Georgia have refused to recognize the results of the elections, claiming they were rigged. Protests erupted on November 16 outside the Georgian Central Election Commission’s headquarters, where the head of the CEC was even doused with black paint during a session.

Despite the protests, the CEC has upheld the results, which officially declared the ruling Georgian Dream party the winner. Recently, EU officials have warned that unless Georgian Dream shifts its approach toward democracy, Georgia’s chances of closer ties with the EU may be jeopardized.

By Tamilla Hasanova