Georgian PM slams EU for favoring Moldova, points to “failed democracy test”

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday criticized the European Union for prioritizing Moldova’s EU integration bid over Georgia’s, pointing to the recent elections in Moldova which the official branded as a “failed democracy test”

Kobakhidze’s press comments followed Moldova’s recent European integration referendum and presidential elections, where preliminary results showed a narrow 50.31% approval for constitutional changes towards EU membership, with 49.69% against. Incumbent President Maia Sandu secured 41% of the vote, necessitating a runoff in November.

The Georgian official’s remarks came in response to a joint statement by foreign and European affairs ministers from 13 EU member states, who called for “free and fair” general elections in Georgia on October 26. He argued that if the EU wanted to ensure fairness, it should focus on Moldova, which, he claimed, had conducted elections where “candidates were dismissed with excuses pulled out of thin air.” The Georgian leader criticized the narrative that Moldova’s European integration efforts were superior to Georgia’s, despite Moldova being a CIS member “with over half its population opposing EU integration”.

Kobakhidze further expressed frustration over what he described as an “unfair perception” that Moldova deserved EU candidate status while Georgia did not, asserting that justice would be restored once the war in Ukraine concluded and elections took place.