Georgian PM accuses Macron of lying
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said claims by French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia meddled in Georgia’s recent election are “lies.”
On Monday, Macron declared that “Russia has increased its aggression and shifted the nature of its hostility toward Europe and other regions” by, among other things, “destabilizing electoral processes and manipulating ballot boxes” during the October election in Georgia. He did not provide evidence to back his allegation.
Kobakhidze was asked about Macron’s claim by journalists on Tuesday, and responded: “I cannot comment on lies. I am commenting on the problem that everyone faces today, which is a devastated Ukraine.”
“The French president should better follow the events in Ukraine, which has been sacrificed with the aim of destroying it,” the prime minister stressed.
The parliamentary election, held on October 26, ended with the ruling Georgian Dream party winning 53.93% of the ballot and taking 89 out of 150 seats in the legislature.
The results of the vote were recognized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The head of OSCE’s monitoring mission at the Georgian election, Pascal Allizard, said that despite “a divisive campaign atmosphere” and imbalances in financial resources between the parties, “the engagement shown on election day – from the active voter participation, robust presence of citizen and party observers, and rich diversity of voices – gives the sign of a system that is still growing and evolving, with a democratic vitality under construction.”
Georgia’s four pro-EU opposition parties, which passed the 5% threshold, have claimed the election was rigged and refused to recognize its outcome. Tbilisi has been gripped by a wave of protests since the vote, with rallies turning violent at times. The scale of the demonstrations has been subsiding in recent weeks.
