US, EU Call for Probe into Republic of Georgia's Election Result
Facts
- The US and the EU have called for an independent investigation into the Republic of Georgia's recent general election result, after the country's electoral commission announced an outright victory for Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's Georgian Dream party.[1]
- In separate posts on X (formerly Twitter), European Council Pres. Charles Michel and European Commission Pres. Ursula Von der Leyen called for the election to be investigated 'swiftly, transparently and independently.'[2][3]
- Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement calling for 'a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations,' describing 'undermined public and international trust in the possibility of a fair outcome.'[4]
- The country's official electoral results found Georgian Dream had won 53.9% of the national vote, followed by Coalition for Georgia's 11.0%, Unity-National Movement's 10.2%, Strong Georgia's 8.8%, and Gakharia for Georgia's 7.8%.[5]
- Georgian Pres. Salome Zourabichvili didn't recognize the election outcome and called Georgians to protest in Tbilisi on Monday. Georgia's four pro-West opposition parties have also rejected the poll results.[6][7]
Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]X (a), [3]X (b), [4]State, [5]Results, [6]Reuters (a) and [7]Reuters (b).
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian and Kyiv Post. Georgia's rigged election results are yet another damning blow to democracy inflicted at the hands of Russia. The country's governing cronies have, with the aid of Moscow, attempted to circumvent the voice of its pro-European people through blatant means such as ballot stuffing and violence. It's imperative that the West wakes up and finally stops Russia and its proxies from its consistent violations of the rule of law.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Sputnik International and RT. It's clear that, having long sought a regime change within Georgia, the US and its allies have engaged in a widespread disinformation operation to undermine the results of the country's democratic process for geopolitical gain. Georgia's government must brace itself amid the growing threat of a foreign-led coup.