At the joint session of the three General Committees of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), US Congressman Joe Wilson labeled the ruling Georgian Dream delegation as illegitimate, accusing them of backsliding on democracy in Georgia. In response, Georgian representatives accused Wilson of echoing the rhetoric of the country’s “radical opposition.”
Wilson highlighted democratic regression in OSCE member states, specifically pointing to Georgia.
“The de facto Georgian Dream regime in Tbilisi is violating its OSCE commitments to hold free and fair elections. I urge my colleagues to insist on new elections and to refuse regular engagement with the Georgian Dream dictatorship until they comply. Today’s Georgian Dream delegation is illegitimate and was not elected through a free and fair process. We must act,” Wilson stated.
He further claimed that Russia’s war in Ukraine, its past aggression against Georgia, and Georgia’s “stolen elections” were all part of a broader plan to restore the Soviet Union.
In response, the head of Georgia’s delegation, Nikoloz Samkharadze, shifted the discussion to the recent so-called “presidential elections” in Russian-occupied Abkhazia, criticizing European countries for their silence.
“It is alarming that many European states did not condemn these so-called elections. In a broader context, such an approach to occupied territories raises concerns that neither the OSCE nor other international organizations have the necessary resources to ensure stability, peaceful coexistence, respect for national sovereignty, and an end to ongoing occupations,” Samkharadze said.
Turning to Wilson, Samkharadze suggested that if the senator was sincere in his concerns, he would have also condemned the illegal elections in Abkhazia.
The Georgian MP defended the country’s election process, asserting that Georgia’s elections were conducted in a ”pluralistic environment”, using new technologies, and were “better organized than any previous election.”
“Some foreign politicians and officials, including Mr. Wilson, have refused to acknowledge the election results and have sought to spread unverified information. One European parliamentarian even claimed that OSCE/ODIHR was influenced by regimes uninterested in free and fair elections. Such statements aim to damage the OSCE’s reputation and disregard the choice of the Georgian people,” Samkharadze said.
He also expressed deep concern over alleged political pressure on the OSCE/ODIHR mission, claiming that certain groups attempted to influence the final election report.
“I call on you to respect the will of the Georgian voters,” Samkharadze concluded.
