NATO PA President calls on Georgian authorities to investigate all election-related incidents in a transparent, fair manner

The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) Attila Mesterhazy has issued a statement on the recent political and electoral developments in Georgia, in which he writes that although fundamental freedoms had been respected during the campaign and on election day, there had been several incidents which affected public confidence in parts of the process. He calls on Georgian authorities to investigate all incidents in a transparent and fair manner.

I am concerned by reports from international observers about significant issues related to the implementation of the electoral framework during the campaign and on election day. These shortcomings have affected public confidence in parts of the process. I urge Georgian authorities to investigate and address all incidents in a rigorous, transparent, and fair manner. At the same time, I must point out that any complaints regarding the administration of the elections should be settled through the relevant existing mechanisms”, says Mesterhazy.

In his statement Mesterhazy calls on the authorities and all political parties to ensure that intimidation and other negative practices that were observed in the first round are not repeated in the second round of the elections on November 21.

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The NATO PA delegation observed the first round of the parliamentary elections as part of the international election observation mission, together with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and OSCE/ODIHR.