Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania on parliamentary elections in Georgia of October 26, 2024

Parliamentary elections in Georgia of October 26 were marked with an unprecedented number of incidents and systemic violations, both throughout the electoral campaign and during the voting day. This includes allegations of buying votes, cases of physical violence at the polling stations, including attacks and language of intimidation against independent observers, actions aimed at limiting media activities, etc. However, the most worrying proof of interference relates to the mass scale attacks against the political opponents of the ruling party, as well as civil society organizations, including promises to prosecute and ban them after the elections, the systemic use of disinformation in the electoral campaign and the use of state institutions and administrative resources throughout the electoral process.
These violations have been registered by many international and local independent observers. The magnitude and the systemic nature of the violations, as well as sharp discrepancy between independent exit polls and the declared result puts the legitimacy of these elections and their final result into serious question. The President of Georgia has refused to accept the result.
In this context, Lithuania finds it difficult to recognize these elections as free and fair.
The democratic rights of Georgian people must be respected. Any attempts to undermine these rights are totally unacceptable. We call for the independent international inquiry of these elections and of all reported violations during them as a matter of urgency.
Georgia’s EU accession process has already been put on hold due to the adoption of highly controversial legislation by the Georgian parliament. The violations into Georgia’s Parliamentary elections complicates this path even further. Georgia’s ruling party and its leaders bear all the responsibility for the consequences.
We believe that the EU will continue its political contacts with Georgia suspended, and its financial assistance to Georgian Government frozen. Moreover, additional restrictive measures against those responsible for fraudulent elections must be considered without further delay.
Lithuania will continue standing with the Georgian people and their European choice. We will also continue supporting unwaveringly Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally established borders.