U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee, released the following joint statement in response to the elections in Georgia over the weekend:
“Despite our recent concerns with democratic backsliding in Georgia, we had hoped to see a commitment by the Georgian government to run a free and fair election process that reflected the wishes of the Georgian people. In reality, we have witnessed something different in this weekend’s parliamentary elections. Reporting shared by the OSCE/ODHIR, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, and ISFED show multiple violations that severely compromised the standards for democratic elections. We are also alarmed by the dozens of reports of election day interference, including violence, voter intimidation and ballot stuffing, that could have further damaged the integrity of yesterday’s election results,” the senators wrote. “We call on the Department of State, in partnership with our European friends, to immediately investigate reports of fraud and any external interference to determine whether any actions have seriously impacted the outcome of the elections. Those responsible should be held accountable.”
“This is a precarious moment for Georgia. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, must recognize that its actions could have immediate consequences on its economic and security agenda,” the senators continued. "Russia has also undoubtedly benefited from sowing division and disinformation. We recognize the right of the Georgian people to, if they so choose, protest peacefully and call on the relevant Georgian authorities to respect this deeply important democratic right.”
“If needed, we will make additional changes to our bipartisan legislation, the Georgian People’s Act, to ensure that those responsible for fraud and manipulation of the election process are held accountable. The U.S. Senate is fully committed to supporting the democratic aspirations of the Georgian people,” the senators concluded.
Last week, Risch and Shaheen announced that 10 additional senators intend to cosponsor their bipartisan Georgian People’s Act – legislation that would hold Georgian government officials and individuals responsible for corruption, human rights abuses and efforts to advance the foreign influence law or facilitate its passage.
