MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Georgia’s worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud
22.11.2024 - (2024/2933(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 136(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Rasa Juknevičienė, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, David McAllister, Sebastião Bugalho, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Mika Aaltola, Wouter Beke, Krzysztof Brejza, Daniel Caspary, Sandra Kalniete, Łukasz Kohut, Andrey Kovatchev, Ana Miguel Pedro, Davor Ivo Stier, Riho Terras, Matej Tonin, Milan Zver
on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B10-0179/2024
B10‑0182/2024
European Parliament resolution on Georgia’s worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia,
– having regard to the statement of 27 October 2024 by the head of the European Parliament’s election observation delegation on the parliamentary elections in Georgia,
– having regard to the joint statement by the Friends of Georgia, which represents national parliaments, of 6 November 2024 entitled ‘On international inquiry commission to investigate irregularities of elections in Georgia’,
– having regard to the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions issued by the international election observation mission led by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with regard to the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 in Georgia,
– having regard to Georgia’s status as an EU candidate country, granted by the European Council at its summit of 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 Georgia’s parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 offered a choice of candidates, but were marred by serious irregularities, documented reports of vote manipulation and the suppression of voter freedoms, particularly through intimidation, vote buying, observer harassment, exclusion of the media from polling stations, tracking of voters, and confiscation of identity documents in rural areas; whereas public sector employees and recipients of social benefits faced pressure to support the ruling party;
B. whereas Georgia’s parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 marked the country’s first full use of a proportional system, with electronic devices for voter identification and vote counting; whereas the use of these technologies gave rise to concerns over transparency, vote secrecy and the lack of independent verification;
C. whereas recent amendments to the Electoral Code, including the removal of gender quotas, changed the composition of the Central Election Committee and, along with the enactment of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, has restricted fundamental freedoms, stigmatised civil society organisations and undermined the integrity of Georgia’s democratic institutions;
D. whereas respected Georgian independent election observation missions concluded that a combination of pre-election coercion, election day manipulation and restricted observer access meant that the elections did not reflect the true will of the Georgian people; whereas a system of identity card confiscations, data gathering and unauthorised presence created a coercive environment, reinforcing the complicity of state actors in facilitating electoral fraud; whereas the principle of voter secrecy was widely violated on election day; whereas the elections were rigged through a combination of voter intimidation, obstruction of observation and manipulation of voter procedures;
E. whereas widespread anomalies in voter turnout and party vote shares for the ruling party were consistent with many reports of electoral malpractice;
F. whereas Georgia, as an EU candidate country, should abide fully by the Association Agreement and fulfil the 12 steps set out in the Commission’s recommendation of 8 November 2023;
G. whereas the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, publicly condemned the elections as rigged, declared that she would not recognise them, and called for an international investigation; whereas the democratic opposition has also challenged the election results, and some opposition political forces declared that they might not take up their seats in the new parliament;
H. whereas, in his statement after the elections, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy recalled that the international observers had not declared the elections free and fair, asked for a transparent inquiry and investigation into the irregularities and the pressuring and intimidation of voters, and highlighted the need to reverse the trend of democratic backsliding in Georgia; whereas, in a speech during a dedicated sitting of Parliament, Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas highlighted that the elections in Georgia fell short of the standards expected of a country holding EU candidate status;
1. Strongly condemns the numerous and serious electoral violations reported to have taken place during the Georgian parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024, including documented cases of intimidation, vote manipulation, ballot-stuffing, interference with election observers and the media, and reported manipulation involving electronic voting machines that allowed multiple votes per identity document;
2. Considers that the reported extensive electoral fraud undermines the integrity of the election process, the legitimacy of the results and the public’s trust in any new government, and does not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people;
3. Supports the call for an independent, transparent international investigation into the allegations of electoral manipulation, voter intimidation and systemic violations, which were reported to have taken place in the pre-election period and on election day; urges the Georgian authorities to make the voting protocols available and publicly accessible to allow verification by voters;
4. Welcomes the decision by the European External Action Service (EEAS) to send a technical mission to Georgia; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to establish a broad mission mandate that would go beyond the limitations of the OSCE election observation framework and methodology, which is significantly different from the EU election observation methodology, because the OSCE methodology is not always capable of adequately capturing everything that occurs in a country before election day, particularly in countries such as Georgia where there is a well-established system of pressure on public officials, voter intimidation and obstruction of local election observers; believes that such a broad mission mandate would make it possible to assess the manipulation of the electoral framework and other long-term preparatory measures that enable vote stealing, vote buying, voter intimidation and electoral irregularities, while also guaranteeing anonymity and protection for whistleblowers, witnesses, researchers and journalists in the current local environment of coercion and intimidation; strongly encourages the Georgian authorities to cooperate with the EU mission, and considers that unwillingness to cooperate would further undermine the legitimacy of the elections;
5. Acknowledges Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s strong condemnation of the elections as rigged and her decision not to recognise the results; believes that, with the legitimacy of the vote severely undermined by the scale of the violations, the international community should not recognise the election results; rejects, therefore, the recognition of the parliamentary elections and calls for them to be re-run, with the process being conducted by an independent national electoral authority, under stringent international supervision, to ensure a genuinely fair and transparent electoral process;
6. Expresses deep concern over the significant decline in female political representation in Georgia, which was compounded by the abolition of gender quotas, and calls for legislative changes to encourage gender equality in politics;
7. Calls for the EU and its Member States to impose personal sanctions on the officials and political leaders in Georgia who are responsible for election violations, administrative abuses and the misuse of state institutions; reiterates its call on the Council and the EU’s democratic partners to impose immediate and targeted personal sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili for his role in the deterioration of the political process in Georgia, and to freeze all his assets within the EU;
8. Emphasises that respect for fundamental rights is vital to the EU’s visa liberalisation benchmarks and urges the Commission and the Council to review Georgia’s visa-free status, with the possibility of suspension if it is considered that EU standards on democratic governance and freedoms are not being upheld; underscores that visa-free travel is especially valued by Georgia’s young people and that its continuation depends on Georgia’s commitment to EU values; calls for the immediate suspension of visa-free travel for diplomatic and service passport holders and for all those implicated in electoral violations;
9. Recalls that, as a result of the adoption of new anti-democratic legislation, such as the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, the process of Georgia’s integration into the EU has effectively been suspended; recalls that the EU has also frozen the allocation of funds to Georgia; underscores that the continuing democratic backsliding in Georgia is not only a regrettable development, considering that Georgia was once a champion of Euro-Atlantic aspirations, but also needs to be reversed in order for the country’s relations with the EU to get back on track; regrets that the political environment in Georgia indicates an authoritarian shift by the ruling party and betrays the pro-European aspirations of the Georgian people;
10. Recalls that the European Council granted Georgia candidate country status at its summit of 14 and 15 December 2023 on the understanding that the relevant steps set out in the Commission recommendation of 8 November 2023 would be taken; stresses that the recent parliamentary elections clearly go against this ambition and again confirm that the decision to effectively put Georgia’s EU integration on hold was correct; underlines that the policies implemented by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, are incompatible with Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration;
11. Reiterates its unwavering support for the Georgian people’s legitimate European aspirations and their wish to live in a prosperous and democratic country, free from corruption, that fully respects fundamental freedoms, protects human rights and guarantees an open society, independent media and free and fair elections;
12. Calls for the Commission to use the frozen EUR 120 million originally intended as support for the Georgian authorities to enhance the EU’s support to Georgia’s civil society, in particular the non-governmental sector and independent media, which are increasingly coming under undue pressure from the ruling political party and the authorities;
13. Strongly reiterates its urgent demand for the immediate and unconditional release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili on humanitarian grounds for the purpose of seeking medical treatment abroad; emphasises that the Georgian Government bears full and undeniable responsibility for the life, health, safety and well-being of former President Mikheil Saakashvili and must be held fully accountable for any harm that befalls him;
14. 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.