Georgia’s PACE delegation head vows to “defend country’s voice” amid credentials challenge

Thea Tsulukiani, the head of Georgia’s parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday pledged to “defend the country’s voice and position” as the Assembly prepares to vote on the delegation's credentials on Wednesday.

The challenge, initiated by Georgian opposition figures and supported by European representatives, has put the ruling GD party under scrutiny for alleged violations of democratic principles.

At the plenary session, it will be seen whether the extremist Georgian opposition will win and our delegation will be expelled from these walls. If this does not happen, the Georgian voice will continue to be heard”, Tsulukiani told reporters in Strasbourg. 

The MP also criticised the process as “rushed”, noting the “fate of the country that has 20 percent of its territories occupied by Russia should not be decided in a few minutes”, and called for “deeper debates” on the issue.

The challenge to the Georgian delegation’s credentials was initiated on Monday with the support of at least 30 Assembly members, as required under PACE rules. 

The Monitoring Committee has since held closed sessions to review the matter, during which Tsulukiani and her colleague Eka Sepashvili presented their defence.

Everyone was informed that it is prohibited to take positions voiced at this session outside”, Tsulukiani explained. 

She further emphasised the importance of representing the “interests of Georgian voters”, saying, “we are doing everything so that our voters, for whom the homeland and its stability are precious, are represented here with dignity”.

The plenary vote on Wednesday will determine whether the PACE will ratify the credentials of the Georgian delegation, reject them, or impose restrictions on their participation. 

The challenge accuses the Georgian Government of undermining democratic institutions, with Swedish MP Boriana Åberg alleging the Georgian Parliament “is a one-party parliament with only Georgian Dream in it”, following last year’s general elections in the country. 

Four domestic opposition groups have boycotted the Parliament after gaining seats due to alleged electoral fraud, demanding an election rerun.

Tsulukiani dismissed such claims as “baseless and politically motivated”, vowing to continue her efforts to ensure that the Assembly’s decision “reflects facts rather than opposition rhetoric”. 

In any case, the decision is to be made by the Assembly. They are much more numerous than us, so let us wait for their verdict”, she said.

The Georgian delegation to PACE consists of Tsulukiani, Givi Mikanadze, Mariam Lashkhi from GD and Eka Sepashvili from the People’s Power party.