James O’Brien, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, has expressed concerns about recent statements made by leaders of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream. In an interview with Voice of America, O’Brien criticized comments about dissolving opposition parties, labeling them undemocratic.
“Statements about abolishing opposition parties do not sound democratic. I believe that was a very revealing comment, and it shows that this government cannot lead Georgia towards Europe,” O’Brien stated.
He emphasized that the ruling party, seems to be out of touch with reality, claiming that everything is fine, when in fact it is not.
“One party does not have the right to decide which other parties are allowed to compete against it. It is up to the citizens to decide which parties should be represented in parliament,” he added.
O’Brien also underscored the importance of free and fair elections and expressed concern regarding controversial Foreign Influence Transparency Law requiring organizations to register as entities serving foreign interests if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
“It is good that the OSCE will have the opportunity to observe parts of the process, but the organization relies on local groups and ordinary Georgians to ensure that citizens are registered, knowledgeable about the voting process, and that their votes are counted. This law is trying to remove one of the legs of a three-legged stool. It won’t work.
Therefore, I am concerned that this means the elections will not be free and fair and without that, Georgia cannot take a step forward,” O’Brien stressed.
