US Secretary of State urges Georgia’s political leaders to “respect rule of law”, repeal legislation that “undermines fundamental freedoms”

The United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Monday urged Georgia’s political leaders to “respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together”, in his remarks over the parliamentary elections held on Saturday.

Blinken noted that international and domestic observers had noted a pre-election environment marked by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s “misuse of public resources, vote buying, and voter intimidation”, and further pointed out that the development had contributed to an “uneven playing field” and undermined public and international trust in the possibility of a fair outcome.

While international and local observers agreed that election day was generally well administered, we note reports of irregularities and sporadic violence.  International observers have not declared the result to be free and fair.  We condemn all contraventions of international norms and join calls from international and local observers for a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations”, he said.

Blinken stressed that Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration goals, enshrined in the country’s Constitution, required that the “Government respect the rights of members of civil society and the fundamental freedoms of all Georgian citizens”.