Georgian Parliament Speaker: OSCE Secretary General’s statement ends election speculation

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday addressed media following the recent OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto, commending the OSCE Secretary General's statement regarding Georgia's parliamentary elections.

Papuashvili asserted that the Secretary General's remarks put an end to "all attempts at speculation" concerning the election results.

“[Georgian] citizens saw the OSCE Secretary General's statements regarding the elections, which put an end to all attempts at speculation concerning Georgia's elections”, the Speaker said.

He highlighted a shift in the international community's stance on the election assessment. Prior to the elections, Papuashvili noted, various representatives from Brussels and EU member states emphasised that the OSCE/ODIHR conclusion would be decisive in their evaluation.

“When we talk about the assessment of the elections, we should remember one thing: before the elections, everyone - from Brussels and representatives of various EU member states - said that the OSCE/ODIHR conclusion would be decisive for them in assessing the elections. A conclusion was drawn, it was said that Georgia has an elected Government that represents the people. It was said that the election results reflect the will of the population. At the same moment, everyone pushed the OSCE/ODIHR aside and began to circulate their own opinions”, Papuashvili said.

“Several months passed and the Secretary General had to make a direct statement to the Assembly that the elections were held and that the will of citizens was reflected in this outcome, thereby putting an end to the attempts of some [foreign] ambassadors to undermine Georgian democracy. Did they want the OSCE/ODIHR? Here is the OSCE, the OSCE Secretary General and his statement on the elections, which unequivocally put an end to all speculation”, he continued.

He also noted that the inclusion of the proposal initiated by Congressman Joe Wilson in the resolution was an example of using the OSCE for political intrigue.

“As for the [Assembly] itself and the resolution, we saw that in the final text, due to Joe Wilson’s insistence, half a sentence was reflected, which refers to the elections and the persons detained during the violent demonstration, which once again shows one thing - the Assembly, as a parliamentary part of the OSCE, is often used for political intrigues at such times, and we should look at this issue as such. The decisive thing for us is the OSCE position, which is expressed by the Secretary General”, he concluded.

Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the Secretary General of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, on Wednesday stated during his address at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's annual session in Portugal that an opposition holding 40 percent representation in the Georgian Parliament but failing to utilise it was an unfair treatment of the electorate.