“To have over 40% representation and not use it – it is not doing justice to the people, who have elected you. That’s also a question that we need to study when talking about Georgia,” the Secretary General of the OSCE, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, made this statement commenting on Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s annual event in Portugal.

According to Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the OSCE/ODIHR report on the 2024 parliamentary elections in Georgia clearly stated that the result of the election reflects the electorate’s will, despite some irregularities.

“About the elections, which are questioned by the opposition. OSCE/ODIHR has written a report, which clearly states that the election result, despite some irregularities, reflects the decision of the electorate. That’s also a fact.

In Georgia, in the Georgian parliament, the opposition has 66 MPs out of 150. So, over 40% of the parliament is represented by the opposition. But the opposition boycotts the Parliament.

And in democracies, of course, you should have the civic space to voice your concerns, your complaints, etc. But also, you need to use the elected people’s house – the Parliament – in an effective way. To have over 40% representation and not use it – it is not doing justice to the people who have elected you. That’s also actually a question that we need to study when we talk about Georgia,” the OSCE Secretary General concluded.

Furthermore, Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioğlu stressed that OSCE should not forget about the occupation of Georgia’s territories when discussing the situation in this country.

“First, of course, we should not forget that Georgia is also a country at war, technically and legally speaking, and 23% of that country is under occupation. Therefore, when we discuss and analyse the situation in Georgia, we should always keep that in mind,” the OSCE Secretary General stated.