On Georgia’s worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud

B100183/2024

European Parliament resolution on Georgia’s worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud

(2024/2933(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia, in particular that of 9 October 2024 on the democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia,

– having regard to the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the international election observation mission (I-EOM) led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR) on the parliamentary elections held in Georgia on 26 October 2024, and to the statement of 27 October 2024 by the head of the European Parliament’s election observation delegation,

– having regard to the statement by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, of 29 October 2024 on the latest developments following the parliamentary elections in Georgia, and to the joint statement by the High Representative and the Commission of 27 October 2024 on the parliamentary elections in Georgia,

– having regard to the joint statement by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, of 7 November 2024 on the situation in Georgia,

– having regard to the joint statement on the parliamentary elections in Georgia issued by the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus and the Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on 28 October 2024,

– having regard to the joint statement of EU ministers of 28 October 2024 on the elections in Georgia,

– having regard to the joint statement by the Friends of Georgia group, representing European parliaments, of 6 November 2024, entitled ‘On international inquiry commission to investigate irregularities of elections in Georgia’,

– having regard to Georgia’s status as an EU candidate country, granted by the European Council at its summit on 14 and 15 December 2023,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 October 2024 entitled ‘2024 Communication on EU enlargement policy’ (COM(2024)0690), which includes the first progress report on Georgia,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas regular parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 26 October 2024; whereas election observers’ numerous credible reports of violations cast doubt on the election results, leading many, both within and outside Georgia, to question their legitimacy and refuse to recognise them;

B. whereas according to the I-EOM’s statement of preliminary findings and conclusions, Georgia’s parliamentary elections, though they offered a wide choice of candidate lists, and candidates were generally able to campaign freely, took place in an environment that was marred by entrenched polarisation and highly divisive campaign rhetoric and pressure on voters, as well as by concerns over recently adopted legislation and its impact on fundamental freedoms and civil society;

C. whereas the I-EOM noted deepening political divisions and a significant imbalance in the allocation of financial resources, as well as the many advantages enjoyed by the ruling party, making an already uneven playing field even more uneven; whereas the effectiveness of the financial oversight of the campaign was undermined by limited enforcement and concerns over the impartiality and political instrumentalisation of the oversight body;

D. whereas the I-EOM also noted that there were frequent reports of pressure on voters, particularly on public sector employees, throughout the campaign and that this, coupled with extensive tracking of voters on election day, raised concerns about the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution;

E. whereas in the run-up to the elections, numerous civil society organisations reported on the stigmatising impact of the so-called ‘transparency of foreign influence’ law, which, together with incidents of attacks, intimidation and threats of potential sanctions for non-compliance with this law, affected their ability to carry out their work free from undue pressure;

F. whereas international and local observers documented systemic, organised violations during the elections, including violence, ballot stuffing, vote buying, multiple voting, large-scale breach of voting secrecy, voter coercion, undue pressure and intimidation of voters, particularly among public sector employees and other vulnerable groups, voting fraud – including the confiscation of state workers’ identity cards, which were then handed to loyal activists to use for voting – hate speech, systematic observer obstruction, organised transportation of voters, and an improbable deviation in levels of female and male voter turnout in rural districts;

G. whereas Georgia’s parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 were the country’s first elections to be held under a fully proportional system, with electronic devices for voter identification and vote counting; whereas the use of these technologies gave rise to concerns over transparency, voting secrecy and a lack of independent verification;

H. whereas Georgia’s President, Salome Zourabichvili, refused to recognise the validity of the results, citing profound irregularities and abuses that undermined the credibility of the electoral process and compromised the fundamental right of citizens to a free and fair election, and called for fresh elections;

I. whereas Georgian domestic election observers claimed that there had been widespread violations of voting secrecy and called for the annulment of results in all districts where electronic voting took place; whereas Georgian civil society organisations filed court complaints and called for investigations into electoral fraud, though in many cases investigative bodies did not initiate inquiries and the courts did not properly examine violations; whereas the Georgian Central Election Commission has so far refused to publish the commissioned audit on the electronic voting system, and has certified the results of the elections, notwithstanding the above-mentioned irregularities;

J. whereas the complaints filed by Georgian civil society organisations were followed by punitive measures by the authorities against civil society representatives, including unwarranted summons for questioning and heavy fines for speaking out against election fraud;

K. whereas on 16 November 2024, despite numerous complaints and calls by independent election observers for the results to be annulled, Georgia’s Central Election Commission announced the final summary protocol of the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024, attributing victory to the ruling Georgian Dream party, with 54 % of the vote;

L. whereas the four opposition coalitions that surpassed the electoral threshold rejected the election results and refused to legitimise the resulting parliament; whereas all opposition blocs refused to join the 11th convocation of the Georgian Parliament, arguing that the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 were illegitimate;

M. whereas systematic and organised electoral violations have sparked massive and ongoing protests in several Georgian cities; whereas several demonstrators have been arrested;

N. whereas the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, travelled to Tbilisi to congratulate Georgian Dream before the final election results were published and without prior consultation with other EU leaders, being the only EU leader to do so;

O. whereas independent observers documented and reported on multiple cases of electoral disinformation and on Russia’s manipulation of information throughout the campaign, such as the public statements made by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service;

P. whereas Georgia, as an EU candidate country, should abide fully by the Association Agreement and fulfil the nine steps set out in the Commission’s recommendation of 8 November 2023; whereas step 4 is to ensure a free, fair and competitive electoral process and fully address OSCE-ODIHR recommendations;

Q. whereas the EU expects Georgia to abide fully by the international commitments it has made and, in particular, to fulfil the recommendations set out in the Commission’s recommendation of 8 November 2023, on the basis of which the European Council decided to grant candidate status to Georgia;

R. whereas the European Council, in its conclusions of 27 June 2024, called on Georgia’s authorities to ‘clarify their intentions by reversing the current course of action which jeopardises Georgia’s EU path, de facto leading to a halt of the accession process’;

S. whereas on 15 November 2024, citizens stormed government buildings in the region of Abkhazia in protest at an agreement to further the absorption of the region in the economic interests of Russia;

1. Expresses its concern about the fact that Georgia, a candidate country for EU accession, held parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024 that did not fully comply with international standards for democratic elections or with its commitments, as an OSCE participating state, to carry out free and fair elections, given the serious intimidation of and pressure on voters, the lack of investigation of severe procedural irregularities, and a significant imbalance in financial resources in favour of the incumbent administration; considers that these elections cannot be deemed to have been held in accordance with international standards;

2. Calls on the Georgian authorities to promptly and fully investigate all complaints submitted by independent observer organisations and calls for a thorough and independent international investigation into all reported election-related irregularities, violations and allegations of fraud and manipulation;

3. Calls on Georgian political forces and civil society to engage in an inclusive dialogue to overcome the current political crisis; supports the prompt deployment of an ad hoc fact-finding mission to Georgia, with the European Parliament’s participation; supports, pending the results of the fact-finding mission and the necessary clarification of the irregularities, the timely organisation of new elections in an improved electoral environment, including an impartial electoral administration and state institutions;

4. Expresses its concern about the climate of intimidation and polarisation fuelled by the statements made by Georgian government representatives and political leaders, as well as by attacks against political pluralism, including through threats to ban opposition parties and to arrest the leaders, and even supporters, of the Gakharia for Georgia party;

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to demonstrate their commitment to European values and principles, beginning with full transparency in the electoral process; emphasises that violations of electoral integrity are incompatible with the standards expected of an EU candidate country, and in particular the steps laid out by the Commission on 8 November 2023; expresses concern about the seizure by the Prosecutor’s Office of voter verification devices and election documentation; underlines the importance of safeguarding all election-related data and making these accessible to relevant stakeholders, given that they could contain key evidence of any irregularities;

6. Expresses deep concern at the significant decline in female political representation in Georgia, compounded by the abolition of gender quotas, and calls for legislative changes to encourage gender equality in politics;

7. Strongly condemns Russia’s systematic interference in democratic processes within Georgia, including through voter intimidation, vote buying and disinformation; calls on the Georgian authorities to ensure fact-based information and communication, to refrain from anti-EU propaganda that is at odds with the stated goal of EU accession, and to strengthen the resilience of Georgian society to Russian disinformation and propaganda;

8. Condemns Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán’s isolated and contradictory visit to Georgia as a violation of the EU’s position and yet another attempt to undermine the EU’s common foreign and security policy; emphasises that, once again, Prime Minister Orbán did not speak for the EU;

9. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the adoption of the so-called ‘transparency of foreign influence’ and ‘family values and protection of minors’ legislation, despite mass protests on the part of Georgian citizens and repeated calls from Georgia’s European partners to withdraw the draft legislation, which, in spirit and content, is incompatible with EU norms and values; reiterates its call on the Georgian Parliament to withdraw these laws and to refrain from submitting any further legislative proposals that are incompatible with the principles of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, thereby directly undermining the path towards EU membership desired by the Georgian people;

10. Recalls that the European Council, at its summit of 14 and 15 December 2023, granted Georgia candidate status on the understanding that the relevant steps set out in the Commission’s recommendation of 8 November 2023 would be taken; stresses that these recommendations included calls on Georgia to ensure that civil society was able to operate freely, and to fight disinformation aimed at the EU and its values;

11. Urges the Georgian Government to uphold its commitments to the Georgian people to strengthen and promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to genuinely engage in the full implementation of the steps required to fulfil the conditions for candidate status and EU membership, in accordance with the Copenhagen Criteria, in a spirit of engagement and cooperation with Georgia’s civil society and political opposition;

12. Stands in solidarity with the courageous people of Georgia in fighting for their democratic rights and for a European future for their country; reiterates its unwavering support for the Georgian people’s legitimate European aspirations and for their wish to see their country join the European family; recalls that the EU is a value-based Union and the European project is predicated on voluntary commitment, by contrast with autocracies such as Russia;

13. Supports the people of the region of Abkhazia in their protest against an agreement to further bolster the absorption of the region in the economic interests of Russia;

14. Recalls that as a result of general democratic backsliding, including the adoption of new anti-democratic legislation such as the so-called ‘transparency of foreign influence’ law, the Georgian integration process has de facto been halted and EU financial assistance for Georgia largely suspended; calls for the Commission to maintain the EU’s support for Georgia’s civil society and independent media;

15. Urges the Georgian Government to reverse its current political course and return to implementing the will of the Georgian people for continued democratic reforms that open up the prospect of future EU membership;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the President, Government and Parliament of Georgia.