European Parliament Delegation Calls for Election Rerun in Georgia
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, December 13, 2024
On December 12, a delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) conducted closed-door meetings in Georgia with President Salome Zourabichvili, opposition coalitions, NGOs, and media representatives. The delegation emphasized the need for free and fair elections, stronger European Union involvement, and reiterated their commitment to Georgia's European future.
The MEPs declared the recent elections in Georgia "neither free nor fair" and urged the government to rerun the vote under conditions aligned with EU standards. Michal Szczerba, a Polish MEP, stated, "Georgia was granted with EU's candidate status with certain conditions, of which one of the most significant one was to hold free and fair elections." He added, "We ask the Georgian government to rerun these elections with certain conditions and according to the standards we respect in the European Union."
Ahead of the delegation's arrival, Rasa Jukneviciene, a Lithuanian MEP, outlined the purpose of their visit on social media platform X. She stated that the mission was meant to "show solidarity with Georgians fighting for a European future" and confirmed plans to meet with the Georgian President, civil society organizations, and media representatives.
Following the meetings, Jukneviciene reiterated the delegation's role as a "fact-finding mission" aimed at understanding the situation on the ground. She called for greater EU engagement, saying, "We are not here to support any specific political party, but we are here to support Georgia as a country that is now at a very important and decisive moment."
Georgia's NGO sector also welcomed the delegation's visit. Nino Dolidze, head of ISFED, described the meetings as "very important" for expressing concerns and reaffirming support for Georgia's democratic development and European aspirations. She noted that the delegation had been briefed on human rights violations and the country's political crisis.
The delegation's visit comes amid heightened Western attention to Georgia's political challenges. Gustav Getberg, a Swedish parliamentarian and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, is also in Tbilisi. He expressed solidarity with the Georgian people on December 11, stating, "Georgia is Europe, and Europe is Georgia - and no oligarch can change this essential fact."
