The European Parliament will vote on a resolution titled “On the Further Deterioration of the Political Situation in Georgia” on February 13.
The resolution is authored by 57 European Parliament members from five political groups: the European People’s Party, Social Democrats, Conservatives and Reformists, Renew Europe, and Greens.
The resolution calls for the European Parliament to:
- Condemn the “officials of Georgian Dream” and urge them to immediately cease the violent repression of peaceful demonstrators, political opponents, and media representatives;
- Emphasize that Georgia’s self-appointed officials are currently violating fundamental freedoms, basic human rights, and the country’s key international obligations, undermining decades of democratic reforms led by the political class and civil society;
- Consider Georgia under the control of the illegitimate regime of “Georgian Dream”;
- Not recognize the self-proclaimed government of the “Georgian Dream” party, which emerged after the fraudulent elections of October 26, 2024, which were neither free nor fair and violated democratic norms and standards, and do not reflect the will of the Georgian people;
- Urge the European Union and its member states, as well as national parliaments and inter-parliamentary institutions, not to recognize the legitimacy of the “Georgian Dream” one-party parliament and their appointed president; thus, call on the international community to join the boycott of the self-proclaimed government of “Georgian Dream”;
- Continue to recognize Salome Zurabishvili as the legitimate president of Georgia and the representative of the Georgian people;
- Emphasize that the political and constitutional crisis in Georgia can only be resolved through new parliamentary elections;
- Demand that new elections be held in Georgia in the next few months with an improved electoral environment;
- Urge EU member states and officials to firmly demand new elections, and make any future engagement clearly dependent on the scheduling of a new parliamentary election date and the establishment of a mechanism to ensure free and fair elections;
- Urge the Council and member states, particularly EU-25 (excluding Hungary and Slovakia), to impose immediate and targeted sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, his family, and his companies, freezing all his assets in the EU for his role in the political deterioration in Georgia, democratic backsliding, and actions against the country’s declared Euro-Atlantic aspirations;
- Call on the French government to revoke Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Legion of Honor and impose personal sanctions on him;
- Welcome the bilateral sanctions imposed by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, as well as the sanctions already imposed by the UK and the US;
- Urge the Council and member states, particularly EU-25 (excluding Hungary and Slovakia), to impose personal sanctions on Georgian officials and political leaders responsible for democratic backsliding, electoral fraud, human rights violations, and the persecution of political opponents and activists, including Irakli Kobakhidze, Shalva Papuashvili, Vakhtang Gomelauri, the Mayor of Tbilisi, and General Secretary of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, Kaha Kaladze, and the Chairman of “Georgian Dream” party, Irakli Garibashvili;
- Call for sanctions to be extended to judges, including those in the Constitutional Court of Georgia, who issue politically motivated rulings, as well as law enforcement officers and financial enablers who support the regime, either overtly or covertly, and media outlets connected to the regime, including Imedi TV, Pos TV, and Rustavi 2, for their role in spreading disinformation and attempting to manipulate public discourse to maintain the current authoritarian rule of the ruling party.
