“No evidence of election fraud, yet restrictions imposed on Georgia” - Öztürk at PACE debates

During the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) debates on Georgia, Berdan Öztürk, a member of the Unified European Left Group, stressed the need for consistency in the Assembly’s decisions.

Öztürk argued that imposing conditions and restrictions on Georgia’s delegation, despite the absence of evidence of large-scale electoral fraud, reflects a selective approach that undermines the Council of Europe’s credibility.

“No evidence of widespread fraud was found that could have altered the outcome of the [Georgia's 2024 parliamentary] elections. For this reason, the international community did not contest the election results. Nevertheless, this Assembly adopted a resolution imposing conditions and restrictions on Georgia’s delegation”, he said.

“We must remain consistent, because in cases involving other member states with similar problems, the same steps were not taken. Selective approaches damage our credibility and risk creating the perception that we are politically motivated”, Öztürk concluded.