UK Foreign Office: “These elections were of the people of Georgia”
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United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan is congratulating the people of Georgia "on the conduct of the first round of their parliamentary elections on 8 October”.
"The UK aligns itself with the assessment of the OSCE’s (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights – and other international monitoring missions – that these elections were competitive, well-administered and generally respectful of the fundamental rights of the people of Georgia,” read the official statement of Sir Alan Duncan today.
"I note the recommendations for further improvements in Georgia’s electoral system and strongly condemn any resort to violence.”
I urge all political leaders to respect the will of the people of Georgia and demonstrate their commitment to the democratic process,” emphasised UK’s Minister for Europe in his official statement.
"With our European and international partners, we will continue to follow the elections closely and I encourage all involved to ensure that the second round is conducted in a calm and peaceful environment,” reads the statement.
Two European Union (EU) top officials say the 2016 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia were "competitive, well-administered and fundamental freedoms were generally respected”.
Following a vibrant and competitive campaign, citizens of Georgia were able to cast their votes freely and, in most places, vote counting happened in a calm and orderly manner, says a leading international observer mission.
The October 8 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia were competitive, well-administered and fundamental freedoms were generally respected, says the OSCE election observer mission.
International observers are positively assessing Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections, saying it was "free” and "fair”.
UPDATED 17:10
The third party, the Alliance of Patriots, has overcome the 5% threshold for entering the ninth Parliament of Georgia, latest preliminary results show. The Alliance of Patriots party currently has 5.00323% of total votes.
Georgia’s Central Election Commission has finished counting majoritarian votes from all 73 districts countrywide. In 20 districts a candidate from Georgian Dream won, while a second round will be held in the remaining 50 districts.
The current Speaker of Georgia’s Parliament and leader of opposition Republican Party, David Usupashvili, says no one should question the legitimacy of the election results.
United States (US) Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly agrees with international observers and says Saturday’s Parliamentary Elections in Georgia were "competitive and well-administrated”.
The British and the Netherlands Embassies stated today they will observe the second round of Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections on Sunday.