U.S. State Department calls for investigation into election violations in Georgia

The State Department shared the statement on its website.

According to Blinken, in 2024, international and local observers noted “a pre-election atmosphere marked by the ruling party's misuse of state resources, vote buying, and voter intimidation that contributed to an uneven playing field and undermined public and international confidence in the possibility of a fair outcome.”

The Secretary of State noted that international and local observers agreed that Election Day in Georgia was generally well administered, but the U.S. side notes reports of voting irregularities and violence.

In particular, the United States encourages the country's political leaders to address the shortcomings in the electoral process.

“International observers have not declared the result to be free and fair.  We condemn all contraventions of international norms and join calls from international and local observers for a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations,” the US Secretary of State said in a statement.

Blinken also added that Washington encourages Georgia's political leaders to “respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together.”

“Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration goals, enshrined in the country’s constitution, require that the government respect the rights of members of civil society and the fundamental freedoms of all Georgian citizens,”  the American official emphasized.

What is known about the election results in Georgia

Voting in the Georgian parliamentary elections took place on Saturday, October 26, 2024. 

The country's Central Election Commission declared the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party (54%) the winner, which built its campaign on rejecting EU and NATO membership, which allegedly threatened Georgia with war. As a “proof”, the Dream's billboards and videos featured images of destroyed Ukrainian cities.

The opposition unanimously does not recognize the election results, refuses to give up its seats in the newly elected parliament, and is preparing to start street protests.

Among the leaders of foreign states and governments, only Viktor Orban (Hungary), Nikol Pashinyan (Armenia), and Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan) have so far congratulated the current Georgian authorities on their “victory.”

At the same time, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, reacted to the report of EU observers who studied the voting process in Georgia on October 26, published on October 27. In particular, he called on the Georgian CEC to investigate and correct violations during the vote count.