Although the parliamentary elections were competitive, there were some shortcomings, said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Kara McDonald, in her testimony at Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation’s hearing “Bolstering Democracy in Georgia”.

She referred to 2020 parliamentary elections, noting that according to the OSCE / ODIHR, although the elections were competitive, it had flaws, among which are “allegations of irregularities, voter pressure, a blurring of the border between the ruling party and the state, and a lack of effective legal redress for election complaints”.

“The people of Georgia must have confidence in the electoral process and their elected leaders, and deserve a swift resolution of the impasse. To that end, the U.S. government is engaged in intensive efforts behind-the-scenes, as my colleague described, to engage the Georgian Dream and opposition parties in a results-driven dialogue. We are also urging the government to fully implement the OSCE’s election reform recommendations, and our assistance, including USAID’s work with Georgia’s political parties, domestic nonpartisan monitoring groups, and the Central Electoral Commission, and DRL’s support to citizen dialogue with the parties on electoral reforms, supports that goal.

Restoration of Georgia’s role as a regional model of democratic development is becoming more and more urgent. We will work intensively with Georgia to bolster its democratic institutions and processes, their effectiveness and independence, and the ability of media and civil society to operate freely and contribute to democratic resilience. In the end, it is up to Georgia’s leaders and political parties to restore Georgia’s democratic reputation and earn the confidence of their constituents. The people of Georgia deserve no less”, - said McDonald.