Biden ‘deeply alarmed’ by democratic backsliding in Georgia after election outcry

TBILISI, Georgia — U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday criticized the conduct of Georgia’s recent parliamentary election, which was marred by violence, and joined calls by European leaders for a transparent investigation into possible violations.

Biden, who noted that international and domestic observers hadn’t described the elections as “free and fair,” called on the Georgian government to begin an “inclusive dialogue with all political forces in Georgia about restoring election integrity.”

Biden also urged Georgian officials to repeal the country’s controversial law on “foreign agents,” which was introduced earlier this year and is widely believed to have been drawn from the Russian playbook for silencing government critics.

Opposition parties cried foul after Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, claimed victory with 54 percent support in a vote on Saturday.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said her country had fallen victim to a “Russia[n] special operation,” and vowed she wouldn’t accept the election results, demanding a re-run. She also called on Georgian citizens to take to the streets in protest.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently deputy chair of the country’s Security Council, said of Zourabichvili’s demands that she needed to be removed from office and arrested for “calling for a coup.”

Only a few countries have accepted Georgia’s election results so far: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, China and Hungary.

EU ministers on Monday called for an impartial investigation into complaints by international observers, while Sweden said on Tuesday that it was pausing government cooperation with Georgian authorities.

Georgia’s Central Election Committee asked the country’s prosecution office to examine the fraud allegations raised by the president and opposition figures.

Violence erupted at multiple polling stations Oct. 26 as Georgians cast votes. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), acting as international observers, reported concerns over vote-buying, “imbalances in financial resources, a divisive campaign atmosphere, and recent legislative amendments.”