North Baltic Eight countries call on Georgia to hold new presidential elections
The countries of the North Baltic Eight have called for new elections in Georgia.
This was stated by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Baiba Draže, Censor.NET reports citing RBC-Ukraine.
A statement by a group of EU countries that are members of the North Baltic Eight was published on its website. These are Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia.
"We are seriously concerned about the situation in Georgia. We have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the violations reported before and during the October 26 parliamentary elections," the statement reads.
Further, in a response to the post, Brazier continued to quote the joint statement. It said that the countries condemned the violence and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, politicians and media representatives. They deplore the threats against President Salome Zurabishvili, who does not recognize either the parliamentary elections or the decision of the electoral college that elected former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president.
"As longtime friends of Georgia and supporters of the European aspirations of the Georgian people, we are concerned that the country is moving towards deeper polarization and crisis," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said in a statement.
They emphasized that Georgia urgently needs a way out of the crisis, and that public confidence in the country's democratic institutions needs to be restored.
"We call on the Georgian authorities to take immediate steps in this direction, in particular by implementing the OSCE recommendations on the elections and considering the possibility of holding new elections based on these recommendations," the statement said.
As a reminder, on December 28, Georgians took to the streets as part of the "Chain of Unity" campaign, which took place a month after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's statement about the suspension of negotiations on EU accession.
Protests in Georgia against the rejection of European integration
On November 28, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his country was refusing to negotiate EU membership by 2028, as well as any budget grants from the EU.
After that, rallies began in Tbilisi.
Georgian leader Salome Zurabishvili joined the protesters in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi.
On the night of November 29-30, 2024, Georgian security forces used force and special equipment to disperse protesters who had gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. Police detained 107 protesters.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said against the backdrop of the brutal suppression of protests that the country's authorities would not allow a repeat of the Ukrainian Euromaidan scenario.
On Saturday, November 30, thousands of protesters again gathered in Tbilisi against the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to abandon negotiations with the EU on accession by 2028. Protests also continue in other cities across the country.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who supported the protests in the country, said that the country's parliament was illegitimate and therefore would not be able to elect a new president, and that her mandate would continue until a new president was elected by a new parliament.
Later, the ruling party's candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili was declared the winner of the presidential election in Georgia.
