International organisation and Western political leaders have expressed concern in light of widespread reports of systemic fraud and violations in the Georgian parliamentary elections which took place on October 26. 

Official results declare the ruling Georgian Dream party the victors, with over 50% of the votes, however the country’s pro-Western opposition, who officially won a combined 37%, claim the elections were rigged, and are refusing to recognise the result.

“International observers have not declared these elections free and fair,” stated US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, writing on X. "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.” Blinken went on to encourage Georgian political leaders to “respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together”.

The EU has urged the Georgia authorities to “swiftly, transparently and independently” investigate electoral violation allegations from both local and international observers, which have been published in droves over the last two days. "Those irregularities must be clarified and addressed. That is a necessary step to re-building trust in the electoral process," the European Commission and High Representative Josep Borrell said in a joint statement which was published on the EU’s official website.

However, the EU’s criticism of the election was undermined by Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán’s warm welcome for Georgian Dream’s victory. 

Orban will arrive Georgia on the evening of October 28 with a team of ministers, having congratulated the ruling party on an “overwhelming victory” even before the release of the preliminary results. Orbán is due to meet with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Kobakhidze, on Tuesday morning. This move has sparked anger in the EU in light of the widespread concerns of electoral violations and a potentially rigged result.

Observers reveal multiple violations 

Throughout the day on Saturday 26th, numerous reports came in from local election observers, along with footage on social media, of ballot stuffing, voter buying, double voting, voter intimidation and violence at multiple precincts. Georgia’s top election watchdog, ISFED, reported that democratic breaches on polling day, combined with violations in the pre-election period including voter intimidation and bribery, had a “significant impact on election results”. 

International monitors have also raised urgent concerns and have confirmed instances of electoral violations on October 26. Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White, who led the European Parliament’s election observation mission in Georgia, called the elections “a campaign to undermine and manipulate the vote” and expressed deep concern about democratic backsliding in Georgia, which has peaked in recent months and has forced the EU to halt the Caucasus nation’s accession process, after it was granted candidate status in December last year. 

The OSCE, which had a team of over 529 observers deployed across Georgia, including 12 from the European Parliament, reported that election day was “marked by a tense environment, with frequent compromises in vote secrecy and several procedural inconsistencies, as well as reports of intimidation and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process”. In 24% of cases analysed by a delegation from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), voter secrecy was found to be compromised.

Speaking at the presidential palace in Tbilisi on the evening of October 27, the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, flanked by loyal opposition leaders, declared the election result a “total falsification”, and called for Western leaders to back public protests, which are scheduled to begin on Monday evening. “I urge our international partners to protect Georgia by standing with the people, not an illegitimate government. Just as you opposed the Russian law, we ask you to stand with us again,” the president wrote on X on October 28.

Meanwhile, both Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the Central Election Commission chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili, have commented that the elections were free, fair, and mostly peaceful.

Opposing sides 

Other European officials have expressed their concern in light of observers’ reports, and solidarity with Georgia’s pro-Western opposition. On October 28, Polish President Andrzej Duda conducted a phone call with Zourabichvili. “We discussed the deeply concerning situation in Georgia following recent parliamentary elections”, the president wrote on X. “I reiterated Poland’s unwavering support for the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian nation.”

Estonian Minister for Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna commented that the Baltic country is closely monitoring developments in Georgia, and that the people of Georgia must have the right to vote freely and honestly. "The information we've received from local election observation organisations and the media about manipulation of the elections is worrying," Tsahkna said, prior to the release of the reports from international observation bodies.

Meanwhile, other foreign observers have applauded Georgian Dream on their victory in securing a fourth term in power.

Like Orban, Margarita Simonyan, editor of Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT, jumped the gun on hailing the ruling party, writing on X on the evening of October 26: “The Georgians won. Bravo!”, before the official CEC results had been published. This endorsement is hardly surprising, given the very strongly pro-Russian platform GD has adopted in recent months, with the passing of a controversial “foreign agent” law in the spring, modelled on Russian legislation, and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in September. Nearly identical bills were passed in Russia in 2012 and 2013 respectively.