Ruling Party MP slams Swedish Embassy’s response to “misleading” messages from funded organisation

Rati Ionatamishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee for Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday criticised the Swedish Embassy for its response to what he called a “misleading message” from Transparency International Georgia about the question of Georgia’s newly elected Parliament convening for its first session.

Ionatamishvili was responding to the Embassy's remarks on a statement by TI Georgia - which it funds - that said the Parliament could not convene without being formally called to do so by President Salome Zourabichvili.

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The Embassy’s comments described freedom of speech and expression as “central to democracy”, asserting that “support for a pluralistic civil society, including the TI Georgia, is a key part of Sweden’s long-term cooperation with Georgia to strengthen democracy and human rights”.

In his response, the lawmaker pointed to the President’s “formal role” in the process, and said “we have recently heard statements from a Swedish MP calling for a Maidan in Georgia. It is easy to make such calls when you are a representative of Sweden, advocating for chaos and bloodshed in another country”.

When such statements are made, we should not be surprised. However, it is also valuable because it allows the public to see who has what interests and whose goals are being driven by them”, Ionatamishvili said. 

The MP also commented on an ongoing investigation by Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office into alleged electoral violations, pledging that it would “provide answers to all questions”, and claiming the opposition would “eventually have to admit to the lies and deception it has been spreading”. 

Today, we can already say that the investigation is being conducted to a high standard and transparently - something we certainly can not say about the radical opposition, which remains the most opaque, even with its own voters. They can not even share their plans because they have no evidence, no strategy. If there is anything fake in our country today, it is the United National Movement-affiliated opposition”, Ionatamishvili added.

The Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation last month into claims of “falsification” in the October 26 elections, after the Central Election Commission requested an inquiry based on claims by Zourabichvili and other political figures.