On December 20, the television channel Rustavi 2, along with the news agencies NewsHub (1, 2) and INFO9, disseminated statements by the speaker of the Georgian Dream youth organization, Vakhtang Chochia, and the head of the apparatus, Avtandil Kunchulia. They claimed that the meeting between the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and members of the government signifies the organization’s recognition of the government’s legitimacy. According to Chochia’s statement, Berset “met with a legitimate government, as such meetings do not take place with illegitimate authorities.” He also said that by meeting with Georgian Dream representatives, the Council of Europe demonstrated its position on the recent events in Georgia.
It is not true that the meeting between Alain Berset and members of the Georgian Dream signifies the Council of Europe’s recognition of the government’s legitimacy. The organization’s function is not to recognize or reject disputed elections. Berset himself stated that he did not come to Georgia to address election legitimacy. It should be noted that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe published a critical report regarding the freedom and independence of the October 26 election.
On December 18, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, arrived in Tbilisi on an official visit. Berset’s delegation included the heads of the Directorates General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, as well as Democracy and Human Dignity. Regarding the Secretary General’s visit, the Council of Europe’s office in Georgia clarified: “The aim of the visit is to ensure the conditions for continued co-operation between the Council of Europe and Georgia, in full compliance with the Organisation’s values and principles.”
While in Tbilisi, Alain Berset met with Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, and the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe also met with the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Additionally, Berset held meetings with opposition parties, representatives of Georgian non-governmental organizations, and the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili.
At a press conference, Alain Berset commented on the issue of recognizing the elections as legitimate. The Secretary-General stated that he did not visit Tbilisi to validate the elections. Berset clarified that declaring elections legitimate is not within the Council of Europe’s mandate but rather the responsibility of other competent institutions. Speaking to the media, Berset said:
“This is a critical time for Georgia. The country is filled with political tensions, polarized public debates, and high levels of violence. I am here primarily to express my support for Georgia and its people. They deserve to live in a stable and democratic country. Georgia has been a full and highly valued member of the Council of Europe for 25 years. I am not here to legitimize the elections – that is the job of other competent institutions. Conclusions will be written regarding election observations.”
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Functions of the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is a leading human rights organization. It works to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The Council of Europe supports member states in combating corruption and terrorism, as well as in implementing necessary legal reforms. Its goal is to promote human rights worldwide. To achieve this, the organization conducts monitoring and, based on its findings, issues relevant recommendations to states. The Council of Europe outlines its goals, values, and mission on its official websites, but nowhere does it mention that its mandate includes assessing or recognizing the legitimacy of disputed elections held in various countries.
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Conclusion of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
On November 28, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) published its report on the observation of the October 26 parliamentary election in Georgia. The report questioned whether the election results accurately reflected the will of the voters. The observation mission identified a number of violations during the pre-election period, noting that the environment was tense, characterized by increasing polarization, widespread pressure, procedural irregularities, and breaches of voting secrecy. PACE’s report also provided a negative assessment of the voting process. In particular, the observation mission highlighted that, on October 26, representatives of the ruling party were intimidating citizens outside polling stations; cameras installed by the authorities violated voting secrecy; at several polling stations, interference by ruling party representatives was observed; cases of vote-buying and procedural inconsistencies during the vote-counting process were also observed.
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The Issue of Legitimacy
Leaders of European Union member states have said that the election results are contested and that electoral violations need to be investigated. American politicians are also calling for an investigation into the elections. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States joins international observers in demanding an investigation into election irregularities.
This is not the first time that members of the Georgian Dream and media outlets associated with them have spread disinformation about the issue of legitimacy. Earlier this month, members of the ruling party disseminated false claims that the OSCE/ODIHR’s final report no longer mentions electoral violations and that the head of the OSCE had recognized the government’s legitimacy in a letter sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Myth Detector established that these statements are disinformation. The OSCE/ODIHR has not yet published its final report, and Pascal Allizard is not the head of the OSCE.
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