US Department of State encourages Georgian opposition to stop rallies, enter parliament
The US Department of State has urged the opposition to fight from parliament. Photo: foreignpolicy.com.
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The US Department of State has released a long statement by its two senior officials (who have not been identified) earlier today, following the visit of US state Secretary Mike Pompeo to Georgia.
The statement encourages eight Georgian opposition parties to stop election-related rallies and take up their mandates.
Georgian opposition parties, who took to the street following the October 31 parliamentary elections, are demanding repeat elections.
The EU ambassador and I have been hosting a series of meetings with all the parties, but several of them with all the parties together to try and see if they can negotiate a solution to the impasse, because what we are encouraging is the opposition to fight this – fight for change within the parliament, don’t boycott again, because they have – their sort of reflex is to take it to the streets and boycott. And we’ve been encouraging them to fight for change within. You’ve been elected by your supporters to go into the parliament and make change,” said the first senior State Department official, who is allegedly the US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan.
The official said that Georgia has been working on its democracy for 20 years.
The opposition leaders, who have met with Assistant Secretary Philip Reeker earlier today in Tbilisi, stated that rallies will continue. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The United States has been helping them, but they still are in the process of building independent institutions, and I think that’s what we saw with these elections. They are – they’ve had flawed elections pretty much for the last 30 years and we saw similar types of violations this election as well: vote buying, voter intimidation, the abuse of administrative resources in terms of bringing civil servants out to vote,” the official said.
The official stated that ‘so many assessed, as did OSCE, that these were competitive elections, better in some ways – less hate speech, less of some of the more aggressive tactics before the elections.’
It was also noted that official results of the elections ‘were very within, in some cases, percentage points of the PVTs that were done by the local observers’.
Wheels up from Georgia! I had productive conversations with my counterparts, and am confident that our strong, dynamic bilateral relationship is firmly grounded in our shared values and commitment to Georgia’s territorial integrity. pic.twitter.com/utv1S4aN5t
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) November 18, 2020
And so it wasn’t immediately clear that these were sort of fatally flawed elections. How much worse than previous ones that had not been challenged with calls for new elections? And again, we were encouraging everybody: use the legal processes you built over the years to adjudicate these claims,” said the official.
The second official also made the same encouragement to the opposition.
Use the (state) institutions. Don’t just boycott them and achieve your gains that way,” the official said.
Pompeo did not meet with the Georgian opposition while in Georgia. However, a meeting was held by Assistant Secretary Philip Reeker.
Following the meeting in central Tbilisi opposition representatives said that ‘we will continue rallies. Repeat elections must be held.’
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and US State Secretary Mike Pompeo met earlier today in Tbilisi, where Gakharia told Pompeo that “it is the moment to further strengthen US-Georgia cooperation and partnership and US representation in the region.”During the meeting at the administration building of the government of Georgia in central Tbilisi Gakharia called Pompeo and the US ‘real friends and allies.’
Opposition parties and their supporters have again gathered in front of the parliament of Georgia in central Tbilisi to protest the results of the recent parliamentary elections. The United National Movement (UNM) leader Nika Melia claimed in his public address that the opposition remains strongly united and no one, including the ‘special services of the regime’, will be able to harm their unity.
The ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition politicians have held a second round of negotiations at the United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan’s residence earlier today. The parties have agreed not to reveal the details of the meeting.
The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) has counted all votes cast in Saturday’s parliamentary elections. Nine parties have crossed the one per cent threshold to make it into the 150-member parliament per the proportional electoral system (120 seats in the legislative body). In the majoritarian elections the ruling Georgian Dream candidates has won 14 of 30 majoritarian constituences. A run-off will be held in 16 majoritarian constituencies on November 21, where the ruling Georgian Dream candidates won the race in 15 (of 16) constituencies, however, they were unable to receive at least 51% of total votes.
Marina Kaljurand, Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, calls on all political parties and candidates to participate in the second round of the November 21 parliamentary elections and take up their mandates ‘in order to honour the democratically expressed will of Georgian citizens’.
The US Department of State says that during his visit to Georgia State Secretary Mike Pompeo reiterated ‘unwavering US support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian occupation’.“Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani in Tbilisi, Georgia. Secretary Pompeo and Prime Minister Gakharia discussed the importance of free, fair, and transparent parliamentary elections and the essential role of an independent judiciary in a democracy,” said the Department of State press office.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the November 21 election run-off in 17 election constituencies is of top importance for the country to return to a ‘normal and legal political process.' Gakharia stated earlier today that in the October 31 parliamentary elections the Georgian people came to ballot boxes amid the pandemic and allowed nine political parties to enter parliament. He stated that a stable political process in the country is vital for Georgia to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, economic crisis and regional challenges.
Election run-offs are held in 17 election constituencies in Georgia today, as well as a snap election of Kutaisi mayor. The second-round of elections are conducted as none of majoritarian candidates in the 17 constituencies and for Kutaisi mayor were able to receive at least 51 per cent of votes in the first round of elections on October 31. All polling stations were opened at 8 a.m. around the country except two polling stations in Gudauri and one polling station in Shatili due to bad weather.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has tweeted that he was pleased to visit Tbilisi and Jerusalem for productive meetings.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who has cast his vote in the election run-offs earlier today, has stated that the government and the opposition must learn to work together to benefit the country.
Four of eight opposition parties which entered parliament in the October 31 parliamentary elections may create a coalition without the United National Movement opposition party.
Nine of 14 political parties who received at least one per cent of votes in the October 31 parliamentary elections have sent a letter of consent to the country’s Central Election Commission to receive annual state funding.
The eight opposition parties and election blocs who overcame the one per cent threshold in the October 31 elections and are now demanding repeat elections say that they are ready to hold a third round of talks with the ruling Georgian Dream party with the mediation of the diplomatic corps.
Police have detained 20 individuals including United National Movement opposition party members Levan Khabeishvili and Giorgi Kapanadze while they were trying to set up tents in front of the parliament building.