“Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-European country. Instead of useless lectures, they need our support for the European path.” Orbán said in a post on X:
Georgia’s application for EU membership was frozen earlier this year amid warnings of backsliding on human rights and repression after Georgian Dream pushed for a divisive package of Russian-style laws targeting civil society and the LGBTQ+ community.
Europe remains divided over the reaction to Saturday’s election, with Brussels calling for an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing and individual member states expressing concerns.
But the United States has already taken tougher measures, imposing sanctions on Georgia Dream politicians and police who suppressed peaceful protests over the summer.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) on the foreign policy panel said the ruling party’s actions “seriously undermined the standards of democratic elections.” They also threatened to push for new sanctions against Georgia in a statement, adding, “If necessary, we will further amend the Georgia People’s Act, a bipartisan bill, to ensure that we hold those responsible for fraud and manipulation of the election process.” “He stated. “There is a responsibility.”
The U.S. government has the option of punishing Tbilisi, explained Michael Cecire, a former congressional staffer who now teaches at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. “If fraud is responsible for changing the election outcome, Washington and Brussels must make it clear that those responsible will be held accountable and that their support and support posture must change accordingly,” Cecire said. ”
“We will be watching very carefully what unfolds over the next few days,” a senior U.S. official told POLITICO. “Clearly, Georgian citizens have the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, and it will be important for the government to fully respect the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.”
