EU Statement on Georgia’s Presidential Elections

“Ensuring high democratic standards throughout the entire electoral process, including the second round, remains key,” Maja Kocijančič, spokesperson of the EU External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement on October 29.

“It is important that all parties continue to adhere to democratic principles and to respect the will of the Georgian people,” reads the EU statement. “The European Union stands by a democratic, stable and prosperous Georgia, including with a vibrant civil society.”

The statement also refers to the preliminary conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, which assessed the polls as “competitive and professionally administered.”

The EEAS said “some shortcomings” were noted throughout the campaign, as well as the Election Day, including “instances of misuse of administrative resources, sharp polarization of the private media, negative campaigning and harsh rhetoric.”

“These shortcomings should be addressed based on the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations,” reads the statement.

Georgia held the first round of its last direct presidential elections on October 28. Runoff between the two top contenders has to be held two weeks after the CEC publishes the final vote tally of the first round, that is no later than 20 days after the Election Day. This places the latest possible date of the runoff on December 1, 2018.

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