Vilnius (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Nordic-Baltic Eight countries jointly call for new elections in Georgia, criticizing electoral irregularities, violence against protesters, and political polarization.
The Nordic-Baltic Eight nations have urged the Georgian authorities to conduct fresh elections, following the debated parliamentary vote in October and today’s sworn-in of the new president, as well as the arrest of protesters, stated Lithuanian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže.
The NordicBaltic🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇮🇸🇱🇻🇱🇹🇳🇴🇸🇪 statement on #Georgia 🇬🇪:
— Baiba Braže (@Braze_Baiba) December 29, 2024
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in Georgia. We have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the irregularities reported ahead of and during the parliamentary elections on 26 October. 1/1
A joint statement by a group of European nations that are members of the North Baltic Eight (Lithuania, Iceland, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia) said: “We are seriously concerned about the situation in Georgia. We have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the irregularities reported ahead of and during the parliamentary elections on 26 October.”
Baltijas valstu un Ziemeļvalstu #NB8 🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇮🇸🇱🇹🇱🇻🇳🇴🇸🇪 kopīgs paziņojums par pārkāpumiem, par kuriem ziņots pirms 26. oktobra #Gruzijas parlamenta vēlēšanām un to gaitā: “Mēs pieprasām, lai Gruzijas varas iestādes nekavējoties rīkojas, tostarp īstenojot #EDSO rekomendācijas… pic.twitter.com/ZRFhShfXr8
— Ārlietu ministrija 🇱🇻 | #atbalstuUkrainu 🇺🇦 (@Arlietas) December 29, 2024
Further Braže stated that the countries criticised the violence and oppression against peaceful demonstrators, politicians, and media spokespeople. They lament the threats against President Salome Zourabishvili, who does not admit either the parliamentary elections or the conclusion of the electoral college that selected former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president.
Today December 29, 2024, marks an important political shift in Georgia after Mikheil Kavelashvili has been sworn in as the country’s new president. His election comes amid rising political tension following a highly controversial parliamentary election in October 2024, which opposition parties have described as fraudulent. The new president is Kavelashvili, a former footballer and member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who was left alone as the only candidate because opposition groups boycotted the process of the presidential election.
