PM announces suspension after the European Parliament adopted a resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s election.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that Georgia will suspend talks on European Union accession for four years and has accused Brussels of “blackmail.”
This decision came after the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution on Thursday rejecting the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections held on October 26 due to “significant irregularities.”
The resolution called for new elections to be held within a year under international supervision and for sanctions to be imposed on top Georgian officials, including Kobakhidze.
Accusing the European Parliament and some European politicians of blackmail, Kobakhidze announced, “We have decided not to bring up the issue of joining the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.”
He assured that Georgia will continue implementing necessary reforms and aims to be more prepared than any other candidate country by 2028 to open accession talks with Brussels and become a member state in 2030.
No immediate response has been received from Brussels.
Georgia has the goal of EU accession in its constitution, but relations with Brussels have soured recently, with the EU stating that Georgia’s application is on hold.
Georgia attained EU candidate status in December 2023, but the EU has criticized laws passed by the governing Georgian Dream party, including restrictions on “foreign agents” and LGBTQ rights, as authoritarian, Russian-inspired, and barriers to EU membership.
‘Significant irregularities’
Western countries have also condemned last month’s election, which saw the Georgian Dream bloc receive almost 54 percent of the vote, citing violations. However, opposition parties have boycotted the results, calling them fraudulent.
The European Parliament has urged Georgia to hold new elections, declaring the previous vote tainted by “significant irregularities.”
Lawmakers in Strasbourg blamed the Georgian Dream party for conducting unfair elections and rejected the outcome, citing numerous electoral violations like voter intimidation and manipulation.
The resolution called for sanctions against several Georgian Dream officials, including Kobakhidze, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
In Georgia’s parliament, opposition members have boycotted sessions, alleging fraud in favor of Georgian Dream’s victory.
President Salome Zurabishvili, a pro-Western leader, has deemed the election “unconstitutional” and is seeking to nullify the results through the Constitutional Court.
A group of election monitors in Georgia has claimed evidence of widespread electoral fraud benefiting Georgian Dream, an allegation the party denies.
