MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the elections in Georgia
17.10.2012 - (2012/2816(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Norica Nicolai, Graham Watson, Marietje Schaake, Sonia Alfano, Robert Rochefort, Leonidas Donskis, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Kristiina Ojuland, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Hannu Takkula
on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0467/2012
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia, in particular its resolution of 17 November 2011 containing the European Parliament’ recommendations to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the negotiations of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement,
– having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the European Union and Georgia, which entered into force in 1999,
– having regard to the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions of the International Election Observation of Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections issued on 2 October 2012,
– having regard to the Council conclusions on Georgia of 15 October 2012,
– having regard to the joint statement by the High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Štefan Füle following the announcement of the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections,
– having regard to the report of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association reports on the pre-election environment,
– having regard to the communication from the Commission ‘Taking stock of the European Neighbourhood Policy’ of 12 May 2011,
– having regard to the Progress report on the Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in Georgia issued on 15 May 2012,
– having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership summit held in Warsaw on 29/30 September 2011,
– having regard to the joint statement of the Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers’ meeting of 23 July 2012,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas over the last years the Euro-Atlantic integration has been the top priority in the Georgian political agenda and one of the main aspirations of the Georgian society; whereas a stable, democratic and fully sovereign Georgia that respects the principles of the rule of law, human rights, the protection of minorities, market economy and that guarantees of fundamental rights is in the interests of both the EU and the Georgian people;
B. whereas Georgia is one of the founding members of the Eastern Partnership; whereas at the Warsaw Summit the EU and Eastern Partnership representatives reaffirmed that the Eastern Partnership is based on a community of values and principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law;
C. whereas on 1 October the Georgian people have elected their representatives in the parliament in a tense and highly polarised political environment marred during the electoral campaign by allegations of misconduct, deep distrust between the parties, acts of intimidation and some violent incidents;
D. whereas voting procedures on the election day were conducted in a peaceful and calm manner all over the country with a good turnout of the population; whereas an unprecedented number of foreign and Georgian election monitors covered most of Georgia’s electoral precincts;
E. whereas according to the preliminary conclusions of the International Election Observation these parliamentary elections marked an important step in consolidating the conduct of democratic elections in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments;
F. whereas some key issues of the Election Code still remain to be addressed with regard, in particular, to important previous recommendations by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission such as the disparity of the population size among single mandate constituencies;
G. whereas opposition forces raised strong criticism of the State Audit Office that was accused to fail to apply the norms of the election laws in a transparent impartial and coherent way;
H. whereas the Georgian Dream coalition that gained the majority in the Georgian Parliament will have to rule the country in cohabitation with President Mikheil Saakashvili;
I. whereas the broadcast of video footages showing the torture of inmates in Georgian prisons caused widespread outcry and revealed serious misconduct in government agencies responsible for law and order; whereas two ministers resigned because of this scandal;
J. whereas the Georgian breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are still de facto occupied by Russian Armed Forces; whereas despite the six-point ceasefire agreement signed in 2008 by the Russian Federation and Georgia the access of the EU Monitoring Mission to South Ossetia and Abkhazia is still hindered;
1. Welcomes the first instance of transition of power through democratic, free and fair elections in Georgia; commends the Georgian peoples’ active participation throughout the campaign and on the day of the vote;
2. Underlines that 1 October 2012 parliamentary elections in Georgia exemplifies the progress for all Georgians and the new incoming government and parliamentary majority, should therefore ensure reinforcement of these achievements through the means of non partisan dialogue for the interests of Georgia;
3. Takes note of the polarised and tense election environment, often characterised by the use of harsh rhetoric and some instances of violence;
4. Calls on the incoming Georgian authorities to refrain from possible reprisals and political retributions in order to move forward from the polarised political environment of the campaign period and contribute to the improvement of political climate in the country;
5. Notes that the period of constitutional ‘co-habitation’ requires a concerted effort of seeking political compromise and consensus whilst respecting fully Georgian Constitution and its cardinal laws; underlines that constructive relations between the President and the parliamentary majority are essential for Georgia’s democratic credentials and governance;
6. Calls on the incoming Georgian authorities in close co-operation with the opposition to address the recommendations of the OSCE ODIHR preliminary conclusions, particularly the deficiencies of the ‘Law on Political Unions of Citizens’ and rectify the situation well ahead of the Presidential elections in 2013;
7. Calls on the incoming parliamentary majority in close co-operation with the opposition to thoroughly investigate the reported instances of vote buying, threats and pressure on civil society organisations and individuals, dismissing from the office, application of sanctions, threats against independent media, abuses of political party funding;
8. Stresses the importance of a fully independent and impartial judiciary and calls on the new parliament to adopt the necessary measures in order to prevent any misgiving or misconduct of the judicial authorities;
9. Welcomes the reinstatement of the citizenship to Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the ‘Georgian Dream’ coalition;
10. Welcomes the implementation of the principles of must carry and must offer that significantly contributed to the media pluralism ahead of the elections;
11. Stresses the importance of the adoption and the implementation of a stringent and effective law on party financing as well as a law on potential and actual conflicts of interest in order to draw a clear line of separation between private and public interests for persons holding public office;
12. Appalled at the dramatic and violent images of the abuse and torture of inmates in Georgian prisons, which revealed serious misconduct in government agencies responsible for law and order; welcomes the commitment of the outgoing government to take decisive action in investigating the circumstances of the abuse and bringing those responsible to justice;
13. Urges the Georgian authorities to investigate and prosecute all the cases of ill-treatment and torture in the Georgian prisons and calls for a deep and effective reform of the penitentiary system; welcomes the decision of the prison minister in Georgia to put together a monitoring group to let human rights activists and the media into facilities to check the conditions;
14. Welcomes the expressed continued commitment of the incoming Georgian government towards further Euro-Atlantic integration and its determination to build upon the results of good work done by the previous authorities;
15. Calls on the Council and the Commission to step up its work on the negotiations of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and consider in line with the principle of ‘more-for-more’ to redouble the efforts at completing negotiations on the visa free regime between Georgia and the European Union;
16. Takes the view that the democratic change that took place in Georgia provides the opportunity for the resumption of an open, frank and unconditional dialogue between Georgia and the Russian Federation based on the development of good neighbourly relations, the full sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the two countries;
17. Calls, in this regard, on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Georgian breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to allow the unfettered access of the EUMM to these two provinces;
18. Regrets the slow pace of negotiations and the absence of any substantial progress between the two parties at the Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus and calls for a stronger engagement with a view to complying in full with all the six points of the ceasefire agreement of September 2008;
19. Notes the invitation of the Georgian Dream coalition representatives to participate in the 21st round of internationally mediated peace talks on Georgian conflicts in Geneva;
20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service, to the President, Government and Parliament of Georgia, Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council Europe and the OSCE.