The US and the EU are calling for an investigation into Georgia’s election after reports of intimidation and irregularities

The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called for an investigation into Georgia’s parliamentary election amid reports of irregularities in statements made on October 27.

The Moscow party “Georgian Dream” almost won. 54% of votes in the elections on October 26, but international observers also did not announce the results free and fair.

Pro-European opposition parties denied the ruling party’s victory, and President Salome Zurabishvili said on October 27 that she unrecognizable results and called for mass protests.

“We appeal to the Central Election Commission Georgia and other relevant authorities to fulfill their duty to promptly, transparently and independently investigate and rule on election violations and allegations.” Borel the statement says.

“We condemn all violations of international norms and join the calls of international and local observers to conduct a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations.”

Blinken urged “Georgia’s political leaders to respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and jointly eliminate flaws in the electoral process.”

“While international and local observers agreed that election day generally went well, we noted reports of irregularities and sporadic violence. International observers did not declare the results free and fair,” the top US diplomat said.

After the results of the October 26 vote were announced, Georgian opposition groups refused to recognize the results and said the election was rigged, citing observers reporting various irregularities across the country, including ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation.

According to the report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Election Observation Mission, “Election day was…marked by a tense environment with frequent compromises on the secrecy of the vote and several procedural irregularities, as well as reports of intimidation and pressure on voters… especially on public sector voters.”

The Georgian Dream party, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, brought the country closer to Moscow, hindering its aspirations to join the EU. Tbilisi’s adoption is controversial the law on foreign agents earlier this year resulted in the EU effectively freezing Georgia’s accession process, even though it was granted candidate status last December.

Tbilisi’s relationship with Washington has also soured in recent months as the US began to exercise restraint affiliate programs and introduced sanctions against Georgian officials.

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