“The Russian Federation and four other countries do not recognise the jurisdiction of the Georgian government over 20 per cent of Georgia’s territory, and there are extremist forces within Georgia itself who do not recognise the Georgian government’s jurisdiction over 100 per cent of the country’s territory. We stand against both,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.

As the Prime Minister made clear, when one has not a shred of evidence of electoral fraud and yet continues to pursue sabotage and extremism against the constitutional order, the law must respond in kind.

“When the question of electoral legitimacy is raised, let us recall how events unfolded: first in 2020, then in 2024, and indeed the very same pattern appeared in 2016 as well. In 2020, for instance, claims were made that the elections had been rigged, and yet the entire opposition subsequently piled into that very ‘rigged parliament’ when they put their signatures to the so-called Michel Agreement. It turned out, then, that the elections had not been rigged after all, and neither had the parliament been fraudulent.

The same is happening now in the case of 2024, without a shred of evidence, not a single piece of evidence exists. The OSCE/ODIHR stated that the elections were competitive and that they were duly held. The OSCE/ODIHR spoke, following those elections, of functioning institutions and a functioning parliament; their position on this was stated with absolute clarity. There were no violations whatsoever; the elections were conducted legitimately.

When you have not a shred of evidence of electoral fraud and yet continue with your campaign of sabotage, continue with your extremism against the constitutional order, the law must be brought to bear against it.

The Russian Federation and four other countries do not recognise the jurisdiction of the Georgian government over 20 per cent of Georgia’s territory, and there are extremist forces within Georgia who do not recognise the Georgian government’s jurisdiction over 100 per cent of the country’s territory. We stand against both. In one case, we counter it through the Law on Occupation, and in the other, through the provisions on extremism in the Criminal Code,” Irakli Kobakhidze declared.