Lelo’s Salome Samadashvili views CoE statement as significant basis for European institutions’ decisions

Salome Samadashvili, a member of the Lelo party, believes that daily and joint struggle against the “Russian regime” brings tangible results.

“For 76 days now, the Georgian people have been fighting to rescue their European future, today it is increasingly clear to the world that there is no other solution except for new elections,” she said.

According to Samadashvili, the Bureau of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe sent a special mission to Georgia to inspect the current political situation.

“The mission drafted a statement that will be a significant basis for the decision to be taken by European institutions that if the election environment is not changed, local elections will have no sense. I want society to know that this is an extremely unusual statement from this organization because it rarely-almost never-calls for postponement of elections,” she said.

Salome Samadashvili remarked that based on the statement of foreign partners, local elections will have no international legitimization.

“Now it is up to Bidzina Ivanishvili to decide to obey the will of the Georgian people, international pressure and call for new parliamentary elections, or end up in international isolation. At the same time, Georgian people should see that this is the result of their efforts,” she said and expressed hope that many Georgians would rally to defend their European future at Europe Square this Saturday.

The Bureau of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has recently adopted a statement on the urgent situation in Georgia.

“The Congress Bureau calls on the government of Georgia to fully respect European standards in human rights, democracy and the rule of law, paving the way to free and fair repeat elections at the national level, free and fair elections at the local level and the just treatment of all Georgians, including locally elected representatives,” reads the statement.