Georgian Parliament Speaker warns against “election sabotage”, calls it attack on Georgian democracy

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday warned against any attempts to disrupt or sabotage the upcoming local elections, stating that such actions would constitute a violation of the Georgian Constitution and national legislation.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that such actions reflect a “collapse of values” among certain actors in Europe and their “proxies” in Tbilisi, who were attacking democratic elections.

“I want to send a clear message to everyone - both inside and outside the country - that any effort to sabotage elections or undermine the electoral process is a breach of Georgia’s Constitution and laws”, the Speaker said.

“This is an attempt to prevent citizens from choosing their local governments - an obstruction of the constitutional right to elect their representatives. It’s a violation not only of Georgian law but also of international law. It is an attack on Georgian democracy”, Papuashvili continued.

He concluded by accusing those encouraging or organising electoral sabotage of committing “political aggression” against Georgia.