Georgian Parliament Speaker urges reflection and recognition of Georgia’s elections by foreign actors

In response to a journalist’s question about the absence of foreign recognition of the 2024 parliamentary elections, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday stressed that the most important recognition comes from the citizens of Georgia.

In his remarks over the ongoing local elections, Papuashvili noted that “the Georgian people make their choice, giving their mandate to whomever they wish - this is democracy, and everyone must respect it”.

“For me, what matters most is the recognition of our citizens - including yours. You are speaking to me, the Speaker of Parliament, as an accredited journalist in the Parliament, and I thank you for that recognition”, the Speaker told a reporter.

Papuashvili further stressed that democracy was about respecting the will of the people.

“Those who do not respect the people’s choice are anti-democratic. After last year’s parliamentary elections, opposition parties and some foreigners radicalised the defeated opposition electorate, and we are now witnessing the outcome”, he added.

“Last year, the opposition had hundreds of thousands of voters. There will always be a segment of society that can fill Rustaveli Avenue [in the capital city of Tbilisi], but democracy doesn’t work that way. Democracy is not apartheid - apartheid is when a minority rules over the majority. Democracy means that the will of the majority is decisive”, the Speaker noted.

Papuashvili concluded by emphasising that today’s election day was also a moment of reflection for those abroad who had sought to undermine Georgia’s democratic process.

“Today is the day of democratic elections. Today is a chance for all foreigners who last year tried to create their own ‘virtual Georgia’ through anti-democratic means to reflect on their actions, recognize democratic elections, and face reality”, he said.