The Assembly is concerned that the controversial adoption of the “Foreign Influence Transparency Law” is not an isolated event, but the culmination of a series of events that clearly indicate the country’s democratic backsliding, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said in a resolution adopted today.
“This trend must change. The Assembly calls on the Georgian authorities to clearly fulfill their commitment to the country’s democratic consolidation and further European integration and to fulfill the obligations assumed by Georgia and the obligations of joining the Council of Europe, not only with words, but also with concrete and tangible actions,” the resolution states.
The Assembly emphasizes that the adoption of the law “On transparency of foreign influence” cannot be considered in isolation from the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia.
“The Assembly fears that this law will adversely affect the conduct of this election and the confidence of stakeholders and the public in its outcome, which may affect the legitimacy of the election. This is particularly relevant because the adoption of this law, despite widespread opposition to it in Georgian society, has inevitably turned the upcoming elections into a de facto referendum on Georgia’s democratic trajectory and foreign relations, significantly raising the stakes in these elections and increasing polarization and tension in the pre-election climate,” the resolution states. .
However, the Assembly is concerned that there is a real possibility that as a result of the Foreign Influence Transparency Law, civil society organizations with long and extensive experience observing elections will no longer be able to observe elections.
“Excluding them as election observers will be completely unacceptable and, of course, counterproductive for the Assembly,” the resolution states.
