Italian MEP Danilo Della Valle, a member of the Five Star Movement, has submitted a draft resolution on Georgia on behalf of the Left Group in the European Parliament.

The resolution addresses concerns surrounding Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections, urging all political parties to respect the results of the October 26 vote and to work towards reducing polarization while upholding the rule of law.

Titled ‘Georgia’s worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud’, the resolution references the preliminary report of the international election observation mission. It acknowledges that Georgia’s legislative framework supports democratic elections, offers voters a wide choice of candidates, and notes the orderly administration of the process. However, it also highlights concerns about a polarized environment, uneven campaign conditions, voter pressure, and potential violations of ballot secrecy.

The draft resolution notes: “Takes note of the preliminary report of the international election observation mission, which stated that the overall legal framework in Georgia provides an adequate basis for conducting democratic elections, voters were offered a wide choice of 18 candidate lists, contestants could generally campaign freely and the administration of the elections was generally orderly; regrets that these elections took place in a polarised environment and on an uneven playing field, and that there were reports of pressure on voters and cases where vote secrecy was potentially compromised; encourages the new Government of Georgia to address ODIHR and Venice Commission recommendations;

Recalls that the EU accession process is based on objective criteria; regrets the European Council’s decision to suspend financial assistance to Georgia; underlines the benefits of the visa liberalisation agreement and the need to maintain it; emphasises the need for a constructive dialogue between the Government of Georgia and the EU;

Rejects, with deep concern, the adoption of the ‘family values and the protection of minors’ law, and considers it an attack on the LGBTQ+ community and a threat to civil liberties as a whole; rejects, furthermore, the law’s implications for the media, given that it imposes censorship by banning broadcasters from reporting freely on LGBTQ+ issues; reiterates that media freedom and tolerance towards sexual minorities are key factors for the functioning of a democracy;

Notes that the ‘transparency of foreign influence’ law entails the risk that NGOs, civil society organisations, opposition media outlets and other organisations that receive funds from other countries will be labelled as ‘foreign agents’;

Emphasises that the rights to freedom of expression and assembly and to peaceful protest are fundamental freedoms and must be respected in all circumstances; expresses concern over reports of the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against demonstrators; highlights the statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, that ‘[a]ny restrictions to these rights must abide by principles of legality, necessity and proportionality. The use of force during protests should always be exceptional and a measure of last resort when facing an imminent threat’;

Regrets the Parliament of Georgia’s decision to abolish mandatory gender quotas; reiterates the need for balanced gender representation in political participation; regrets the under-representation of women in the electoral process; calls on the Government of Georgia to undertake initiatives in this regard;

Takes note of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statements at a press conference at the UN General Assembly in New York and the corresponding willingness of Georgian officials to resolve outstanding issues in a peaceful, diplomatic way; encourages both sides to undertake solid initiatives in this direction;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the President, Government and Parliament of Georgia,” the document reads.