Organizations funded by the European Union Embassy are preparing to disrupt local government elections. Such a statement made today Speaker of the Georgian Parliament.

“After this false, fabricated campaign, which was conducted, including by EU-funded organizations, we heard the OSCE Secretary General’s statement that the October 26 election results reflect the will of the voters.

This is a response to all those country governments that insulted the Georgian people. This is a response to Brussels bureaucrats who insulted the Georgian people. This is a response to some ambassadors operating in Georgia, who insulted the Georgian people by showing a cold attitude toward the government chosen by them, as if these elections were fraudulent.

After the OSCE Secretary General stated that the people’s will is fully reflected in these election results, I believe that these governments - Brussels and certain ambassadors - should apologize to the Georgian people. They should do so for accusing us, as if Georgian democracy is incapable of allowing the Georgian people to choose their own government.

This statement also pertains to the campaign conducted by certain NGOs, specifically Nino Lomjaria’s organization, My Vote. As you may recall, even before the 2024 elections, there were proceedings against them - along with several other NGOs - regarding their designation as election-related entities. We were saying then that the EU Embassy was financing an agitation campaign, including this My Vote organization, which united several NGOs and was directly involved in agitation against Georgian Dream.

Who complains about NGO agitation when the EU Ambassador himself was involved in agitation against Georgian Dream, has violated the Vienna Convention, as well as human and diplomatic ethics by trying to influence another country’s population based on electoral results. We see the same thing now and this is the first signal. From here on, we must be very vocal and strict in evaluating those NGOs that attack the CEC and elections.

These organizations are funded from the EU budget… We are not always aware of the exact sources of support for some organizations, including this one, but we have a general idea. With the EU Ambassador’s approval, funding is being allocated to organizations that have already begun to interfere with local government elections. EU funds are being used in ways that undermine the integrity of Georgia’s local elections. This is a fact.

Since last year, we have been working to uphold the reputation of certain ambassadors and politicians in the lead-up to the elections. But unfortunately, these efforts have not produced the desired results. Instead, we have seen even more blatant interference in our electoral process.

Therefore, it must be stated that organizations funded by the EU Embassy are preparing to disrupt the upcoming local government elections. As a result, full responsibility will rest with the donors. In every case, we will be vocal and directly expose both the organizations involved and their donors, as such actions constitute a violation of international law”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.