Georgian PM: European bureaucracy must stop protecting collective United National Movement

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday accused the European bureaucracy of favouring the opposition collective United National Movement, claiming that Brussels devalued democratic processes in Georgia when they did not result in the UNM’s return to power.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze asserted that certain European officials apply a double standard when assessing Georgia’s political developments.

“We see that today’s European bureaucracy has a simple standard - if elections do not bring the collective United National Movement back to power, then such elections have no value for them. If the procedure for electing the Prosecutor General does not allow the collective United National Movement to regain influence over the Prosecutor’s Office, then such a procedure also has no value for them”, he said.

“This is the general approach. These are the standards that are being applied. We remember very well what was happening when the United National Movement had influence over the courts and the Prosecutor’s Office. It was precisely through that influence that the United National Movement once created a bloody regime - a regime that the same European bureaucracy firmly supported. We do not want this to return to our country”, he noted.

Kobakhidze emphasised that reforms in Georgia’s judicial and prosecutorial systems have been intentionally designed to ensure independence from any political influence, including that of the United National Movement.

“We hope that the European bureaucracy will once and for all stop protecting the collective United National Movement and any attempts aimed at bringing this collective United National Movement back to power - including in relation to the judiciary and the Prosecutor’s Office. The collective should never again regain influence over the courts, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Parliament, or the government. On the contrary, we are doing everything possible to completely remove this collective political force from our political system. Otherwise, a healthy, democratic system will simply not be able to develop in Georgia”, he concluded.