BERLIN: The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland said on Tuesday that authorities in Georgia should consider fresh elections as a way out of the country’s political crisis.
On Sunday ruling party loyalist and former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was inaugurated as president in a move that could escalate the months-long showdown over the results of October’s general elections.
Outgoing pro-EU head of state Salome Zurabishvili and protesters have declared Kavelashvili “illegitimate”, demanding a re-run of the vote that they say the ruling Georgian Dream party rigged.
However Georgian Dream’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has ruled out calling fresh elections.
A statement from the German, French and Polish foreign ministers said that “the call for… new elections, coming from parts of Georgian society, deserves to be addressed by authorities”.
Mikheil Kavelashvili, ex-Man City striker and Georgia’s disputed far-right president
The ministers also called for “a national dialogue with all relevant stakeholders to find a way out of the current situation and to restore public trust in Georgian democracy”.
They pointed to a report on the election from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which they said “confirms our concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process with widespread irregularities”.
The OSCE report showed that the vote was “not conducted according to standards expected from an EU candidate”, the three top diplomats added.
Tensions in the ex-Soviet republic ramped up on November 28 with the government’s announcement that it was shelving EU membership talks.
Thousands have taken to the streets daily, with protesters accusing what they consider to be an increasingly repressive government of derailing Tbilisi’s EU bid.
More than 400 people have been arrested during the protests, with many saying they have been beaten.
The German, French and Polish ministers blamed the blame for the crisis squarely on Georgian Dream and “its departure from the European path”.
They also said they “strongly condemn… violence against peaceful protesters” and called on authorities “to respect human rights and protect fundamental freedoms, including the freedom to assembly and media freedom”.
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