EU countries jointly called on Georgian authorities to hold new elections
EU countries condemn violence against citizens, politicians and media representatives (photo: Getty Images)
The Nordic Baltic Eight countries have called on the Georgian authorities to hold new elections. This follows the disputed parliamentary elections in October and today's inauguration of the new president, as well as the detention of protesters, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže.
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A statement by a group of EU countries that are members of the North Baltic Eight has been published on its website. These are Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia.
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in Georgia. We have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the irregularities reported ahead of and during the parliamentary elections on 26 October,” the post reads.
Further, in her response to the post, Braže continued to quote the joint statement. It says that the countries condemned the violence and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, politicians, and media representatives. They deplore the threats against President Salome Zourabishvili, who does not recognize either the parliamentary elections or the decision of the electoral college that elected former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president.
“As long-standing friends of Georgia, and supporters of the European aspirations of the Georgian people, we are alarmed by the country’s path toward deeper polarisation and crisis,” the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said in a statement.
She emphasized that Georgia urgently needs a way out of the crisis, and that public confidence in the country's democratic institutions needs to be restored.
“We urge the Georgian authorities to take immediate steps in this direction, including by implementing OSCE electoral recommendations and by considering the possibility of new elections based on these recommendations,” the statement reads.
Today, the opposition President of Georgia Salome Zourabishvili voluntarily left the presidential palace. At the same time, Mikheil Kavelashvili took the oath of office in the parliament building.
After his inauguration, security forces in Georgia made the first detentions of protesters who were near the parliament building.
