US embassy evaluates Georgian elections, congratulates president-elect

The US embassy in Georgia has congratulated Georgian president-elect Salome Zurabishvili on her victory and made the assessments of the 28 November elections.

The embassy wrote that elections are fundamental to democracy, and in that spirit, they welcomed the assessment by the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission that Georgian presidential runoff was “competitive and that candidates were able to campaign freely”.

We also share the mission’s concerns, and those of other international and domestic observers, about instances of misuse of state resources for partisan campaigning, among other issues.

We urge Georgian authorities to address the shortcomings raised by OSCE/ODIHR and other observers, and we are prepared to assist in these efforts.

The statement reads that the United States and Georgia are and will remain strong partners.

We fully support Georgian democracy, prosperity, territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and western integration, and we are determined to work with our friends here toward this country’s success,” the US embassy stated.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze vowed that OSCE/ODIHR recommendations will be closely studied and taken into account.