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EU chief Charles Michel on Sunday urged electoral authorities in Georgia to swiftly investigate alleged electoral irregularities, after the ruling party declared victory in a vote decried by the opposition as “falsified”.
A group of international observers said the vote was “marred by an uneven playing field, pressure and tension”, with a mission from the EU parliament saying it had seen instances of “ballot box stuffing” and the “physical assault” of observers.
The European Union had earlier warned that Saturday’s vote, seen as a crucial test of democracy in the Caucasus country, would determine Tbilisi’s chances of joining the bloc.
Noting the preliminary assessments, Michel called on Georgia’s central election commission “and other relevant authorities to fulfil their duty to swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof”.
“These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed,” the European Council president wrote on social media platform X.
Official tallies from more than 99 percent of precincts showed the ruling Georgian Dream party winning 54.08 percent of the vote, while a union of four pro-Western opposition alliances garnered 37.58 percent, according to central election commission chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili.
Opposition parties said the vote was rigged and refused to recognise the electoral outcome.
Michel, a top EU official, said the bloc’s 27 leaders “will assess the situation and set the next steps in our relations with Georgia”, as they meet in Budapest early next month.
“We reiterate the EU’s call to the Georgian leadership to demonstrate its firm commitment to the country’s EU path,” he wrote.
Georgia was gripped by mass demonstrations earlier this year against what the opposition saw as government attempts to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of four million off its pro-Western course and towards Russia’s orbit.
ub/yad