The US calls for a “thorough” investigation into reports of irregularities in the Georgia elections

MADRID 28 Oct. () –

The Secretary of the United States Department of State, Antony Blinken, has requested this Sunday that the reports on irregularities denounced by the observers championed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in some elections be “thoroughly” investigated. in which, according to official results, the nationalist Georgian Dream party would have won by an absolute majority.

“We condemn all violations of international standards and join the calls of international and local observers for all allegations of violations related to the elections to be thoroughly investigated,” reads a statement, in which it encouraged “in the face of to the future” for Georgian political leaders to respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms and address shortcomings in the electoral process.

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

“Georgia’s vibrant democracy has been a source of strength since 2004, and yesterday’s turnout demonstrates the Georgian people’s commitment to democracy. In 2024, however, international and local observers noted a pre-election environment marked by misuse of public resources by the ruling party, vote buying and voter intimidation, all of which contributed to creating an unequal playing field and undermined public and international confidence in the possibility of a fair outcome,” he said.

The head of US diplomacy has stressed that international observers have agreed that “in general” the election day has been “well administered”, although there have been “reports of irregularities and sporadic violence.” “International observers have not declared that the result was free and fair,” he concluded.

Data published by the Central Electoral Commission give the Georgian Dream party – considered pro-Russian – a total of 89 of the 150 seats that make up the unicameral Georgian Parliament thanks to 54.08 percent of votes. The Coalition for Change will have 18 seats, Unity-National Movement will have 17, Strong Georgia will have 14 seats and Gajaria for Georgia, 12, according to official data that is still provisional corresponding to the count of 3,100 of the 3,111 electoral districts.