U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Wilson calls for sanctions against Georgian officials; urges European allies to do same

Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia along with Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament; Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi and Cabinet members congratulated the Jewish people on the celebration of Hanukkah. During his speech at the Tbilisi Synagogue, the Head of Government of Georgia noted that “Hanukkah is a holiday celebrating the victory of light over darkness and goodness over evil.” The Prime Minister of Georgia also spoke about the challenges Israel is currently facing and expressed support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. “We all need more light, more goodness, and I wish you all this on this joyful day. The Jewish people are going through a very difficult time today. This creates an emotional backdrop, but the Jewish people have always been distinguished by exceptional spiritual resilience. I am confident that this is all temporary, and the Jewish people and the State of Israel will overcome every challenge. We are in solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and we are subjective. When it comes to the State of Israel and the Jewish people, the support of the Georgian people and our state will always be directed toward Israel and our friend, the Jewish people. This is primarily determined by the centuries-old friendship that connects our peoples, a friendship that spans 26 centuries. This historical friendship places a special responsibility on us to ensure that we continue to strengthen this friendship in the future. I would like to once again congratulate you on the celebration of Hanukkah and wish you all the best in 2025,” stated the Prime Minister of Georgia. The Head of Government of Georgia together with the Chief Rabbi of the Tbilisi Synagogue symbolically lit the first Hanukkah candle.

Honorary Chair of the Georgian Dream (GD) party, Bidzina Ivanishvili congratulated the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, on the 47th anniversary of his enthronement. “Our Holiness, with his usual wisdom, morality and great ability to love people, still stands steadfastly on the guard of our – his spiritual children’s – strength and devotion to values. I wish him to be the leader of the Georgian church for many years for the welfare of our homeland and people,” he said.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze congratulated the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, on the 47th anniversary of his enthronement. “Our nation was very fortunate that the recent era of dramatic changes and challenges passed under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II. For almost half a century, his wisdom, and unconditional love for God, homeland and humans give us an example, unites and fills us with faith. I congratulate His Holiness on the 47th anniversary of enthronement and wish him health and prosperity for the welfare of our people and the country,” Irakli Kobakhidze said.

“The OSCE/ODIHR, as well as Georgian society, recognize the elections; this is the main point,” stated the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, at a briefing held at the Government Administration. The Prime Minister presented the results of a survey in which 53.4% of respondents positively assessed the parliamentary elections. “I’d like to share the results of a sociological survey commissioned by us. The survey included a question on the fairness of the elections: 45.5% of respondents considered the elections to be fair, while 7.9% saw minor violations. In total, 53.4% gave a positive response. Meanwhile, 4.4% considered the elections to have significant violations, and 19.6% viewed them as unfair, giving a total of 24% with a negative opinion. Additionally, 22.6% said they were unsure. The second question asked whether the election results were personally acceptable to the respondents. The responses were as follows: 44.7% said they were acceptable, 6.5% said they were mostly acceptable, so 51.2% found the results acceptable. On the other hand, 3.9% considered the results mostly unacceptable, and 22.8% found them completely unacceptable, with a total negative response at 26.7%. Again, 22.1% were unsure. In conclusion, both the OSCE/ODIHR and Georgian society recognize the legitimacy of elections. This is the most important takeaway. The primary source of legitimacy is the Georgian people, and as you can see, they have acknowledged the legitimacy of these elections. The people who voted for the Georgian Dream with 54% are a testament to that, and the OSCE/ODIHR’s assessment is also important. We appreciate the OSCE/ODIHR for its proper evaluation of Georgia’s parliamentary elections,” the Prime Minister concluded.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has released its final report on the observation of the 26 October parliamentary elections in Georgia. According to the press release,  the OSCE/ODIHR reiterates its earlier findings and conclusions. It highlights serious concerns regarding the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society, efforts to undermine the independence of institutions involved in the electoral process, and pressure on voters. “The elections took place amidst serious concerns about the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society, steps to diminish the independence of institutions involved in the election process, and pressure on voters, which combined with election day practices compromised the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution. In its assessment of post-election developments and complaints, ODIHR found that cases were not considered sufficiently, limiting legal remedies, and the forcible suppression of protests and numerous arrests caused grave concerns about compliance with international commitments to freedom of peaceful assembly. “Numerous issues noted in our final report negatively impacted the integrity of these elections and eroded public trust in the process,” said Eoghan Murphy, who headed ODIHR’s 2024 election observation mission to Georgia. “To safeguard the democratic principles currently at stake in Georgia, it is imperative that the authorities urgently address all concerns.” While observers noted the legal framework provides an adequate basis to hold democratic elections, the report also emphasizes that recent frequent amendments marked a step backwards, raising concerns over its use for political gain, and restated ODIHR’s longstanding recommendation for a comprehensive legislative review. Today’s report reiterates the negative impact of the polarized and instrumentalized media and limited campaign finance oversight, although contestants were generally able to campaign freely and candidates across 18 party lists competed in a low-key campaign. Many advantages taken by the ruling party in addition to a significant imbalance in financial resources contributed to the uneven playing field. Preparations for the elections were well managed. However, on election day frequent compromises to the secrecy of the vote, several procedural inconsistencies, and reports of pressure and intimidation, including through the recording of the process, negatively impacted public trust in the process and an otherwise generally procedurally orderly election day. Today’s report underlines that complaints both before and after election day were frequently not comprehensively considered and dismissed on technical grounds, undermining the right to a proper review of concerns. ODIHR therefore recommends measures to guarantee effective remedy and increase public trust. Following the elections, there have also been massive protests that were repeatedly violently dispersed and resulted in numerous arrests and allegations of brutality towards protesters and journalists, in breach of international commitments guaranteeing the right to freedom of assembly as well as the right to freedom from torture and other forms of ill-treatment. In line with its mandate, ODIHR does not recognize or endorse elections. Instead, ODIHR provides a comprehensive and impartial assessment of the electoral process based on universal principles, international obligations, and the commitments to hold democratic elections made by all OSCE states. This enables voters to form their own judgments about the quality of the election. The Office also stands ready to support a wide range of electoral stakeholders in their efforts to address the issues through post-election dialogue and concrete action. Today’s report offers a number of recommendations to improve the conduct of elections. These require changes both in law and practice to address the issue of low public trust and the ability of voters to cast their ballots without fear, and at the same time to increase the transparency and integrity of the electoral process in Georgia for the benefit of all,” the press release reads.