The statement comes amid controversy over the electoral process, which resulted in a win for the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party with more than 54 percent of the vote, while the pro-European opposition garnered over 37.5 percent.
Raising questions over the legitimacy of the vote, Poland's foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said in an interview with Polish Radio: "the final assessment of the election's credibility will be determined by independent analysts."
Later, Sikorski wrote on X: "President of Georgia has announced the parliamentary elections were falsified," urging Europe "to stand with the Georgian people."
Georgia’s pro-Western President, Salome Zurabishvili, announced on Sunday evening that she does not recognize the results of the country’s parliamentary elections, calling them a "new form of hybrid warfare." She has called for a protest in central Tbilisi on Monday.
"I urge our international partners to protect Georgia by standing with the people, not an illegitimate government," she said.
Earlier, the chairman of Georgia's election commission officially announced the ruling party’s victory, but opposition leaders have pledged to challenge the results, accusing the government of voter intimidation and electoral fraud.
Tensions are building as opposition groups consider protests, with allegations circulating of vote-buying, particularly in rural regions.
Oleksiy Honcharenko, an international observer from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, expressed concerns over pressure in smaller Georgian towns, stating: "I think it’s fair to say that votes were likely bought, especially in rural areas where voters felt pressure."
Similar concerns have been echoed by other international election observers, including from the OSCE/ODIHR.
(ał)
Source: IAR