We join the calls of international and local observers for a full investigation of all violations related to the elections, – US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing.
Miller spoke about the environment that was created during the October 26 elections “in the background of abuse of state resources, vote-buying and voter intimidation.”
“Georgian people went to the polls on Saturday in the election environment created by the policies of the ruling party, including misuse of state resources, vote buying and voter intimidation. This contributed to an uneven environment and undermined the confidence of the local and international community in the possibility of fair election results.
We join the calls of international and local observers for a full investigation of all election-related violations and call on the authorities to respect the rights to fundamental freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.
We call on the Georgian authorities to consider what kind of relationship they want with the Euro-Atlantic community, rather than strengthening the policies that the authoritarians praise. More than 80% of Georgian people want to see the country join the European Union and NATO. The Constitution of Georgia, proposed and supported by the current ruling party, envisages the aspiration to join these Euro-Atlantic institutions. All parties campaigned in support of this goal, but the ruling party took measures incompatible with this course.
The Georgian government can return to the path of democratic development by upholding the rule of law, eliminating flaws in the electoral process, repealing anti-democratic legislation, and making significant efforts to implement reform recommendations for EU membership.
During the current year, we constantly call on the Georgian authorities to abandon anti-democratic actions and return to the Euro-Atlantic path.
We do not rule out further consequences if the direction of the Georgian government does not change,” said Matthew Miller.
In addition, Matthew Miller answered the question about the parliamentary elections held in Georgia, namely whether he liked the process and whether he agrees with the results.
“At the moment we do not have a final assessment of the results, we want an investigation to be conducted. We want to see an investigation into the process. We have noted the violations and join the calls of local officials for a full investigation,” said Matthew Miller.
