Papuashvili urges US Congress to investigate ‘false’ election data claims

Georgia’s Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, has called on the US Congress to probe the alleged involvement of American representatives and agencies in the dissemination of inaccurate parallel vote tabulation (PVT) results during the 2020 Georgian parliamentary elections.

Speaking on Thursday, Papuashvili urged the investigation, stating that Congress “should focus” on these issues rather than “judging the country and its people” in ongoing Congressional hearings.

Papuashvili’s remarks came ahead of a US congressional session featuring Eka Gigauri, the head of Transparency International Georgia. Gigauri is anticipated to offer critical commentary on Georgian government actions, a stance Papuashvili condemned as “speaking against her country.”

The Parliament Speaker accused the US.-funded International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) of releasing false PVT data in 2020, claiming it was used by the domestic opposition to “incite unrest, demand extraordinary elections, and boycott parliamentary work”. Papuashvili argued that the actions “nearly led Georgia to civil strife and violence”.

He further alleged that representatives of USAID were aware of the inaccuracies in the ISFED data but did not disclose the information to the Georgian government. Papuashvili underscored that an investigation by Congress would “demonstrate respect” for Georgia’s “dedication to its friendship with the US” and “repair the damage done to Georgia’s democracy and international reputation”.