Biden calls for investigations into Georgia's election results
President Biden on Tuesday called for the government in the country of Georgia to investigate all election irregularities, holding back recognition of the claimed victory by the ruling party Georgian Dream following the parliamentary contest on Saturday.
Biden cited international and local observers' assessments that elections in Georgia were not free, nor fair, and said he is “deeply alarmed” at the government’s democratic backsliding.
“The United States has long stood with the Georgian people and supported the country of Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” the president said in a statement.
“That is why I have been deeply alarmed by the country’s recent democratic backsliding, including the enactment of legislation mirroring Russian laws that restrict fundamental freedoms and limit the space for independent civil society organizations.”
Biden also called for the Georgian government to repeal the so-called “foreign influence law,” which mirrors Russian legislation that has been used to intimidate, suppress or criminalize civil society organizations.
"We call on the Georgian government to transparently investigate all election irregularities, to repeal laws such as the so-called 'foreign influence law' that limit freedoms of assembly and expression, and to begin an immediate, inclusive dialogue with all political forces in Georgia about restoring election integrity," the president said.
Biden's remarks come as Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has joined opposition parties rejecting the election day results, which gave the ruling Georgian Dream about 54 percent, a mandate to control the parliament.
Georgian Dream, backed by its billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia, is criticized for rolling back the country's democratic freedoms, jeopardizing its ties with the European Union and U.S. and promoting closer ties with Russia.
The opposition, which is made up of about four main parties that crossed the five percent electoral threshold, among other smaller parties, has called for snap elections under international administration.
Election observers have raised alarm that Georgian Dream’s conduct leading up to election day and a significant number of election day violations was part of an effort to undermine and manipulate the vote.
Biden’s statement joins similar calls from over a dozen European states and the European Union that have called for the Georgian government to investigate all irregularities. Only a few countries have recognized Georgian Dream’s victory, including China, Hungary, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, to name a few.