2021-10-29
Today, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with a delegation of the European Parliament and expressed full commitment to holding free and fair local self-government elections.
The Prime Minister thanked the MEPs for observing the 2021 local self-government elections despite the ongoing pandemic, also pointing that that the authorities will ensure peaceful and transparent runoffs, similar to the recent general elections, so that no questions may remain unanswered. To that end, the Government invited international observers from various international organizations as early as a few months ago, including from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the European Parliament (EP), the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the International Republican Institute (IRI).
The meeting emphasized that, in light of pandemic-related challenges, special protocols have been developed to protect the health and safety of international observers.
According to the Head of Government, since 2012, the Government has held a series of democratic elections meeting international standards and praised by international observers as free and fair.
During the meeting, Irakli Garibashvili and the MEPs also discussed the security environment and challenges in the region, with the former underlining the importance of the European Parliament's support for promoting Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The meeting with the MEPs was attended by EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell, Georgia's Vice Prime Minister/Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, and Head of the Government Administration Ilia Darchiashvili.
Press Service of the Government Administration