On 30 October, the situation became extremely tense as a result of the second round of self-government elections in Georgia. In our estimation, we are on the verge of civil unrest.

We strongly believe that there is no alternative to the peaceful, democratic, pro-Western development of Georgia. In our opinion the elections held do not meet these requirements. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that government agencies, including election commissions, law enforcement agencies act in good faith within the law. First of all, they should identify and punish everyone who have abused and insulted media representatives and observers.

Moreover, it is important to respond promptly to a number of accusations and information about voter bribery, which insults and humiliates not only the representatives of political parties but every citizen of Georgia.

We call on the election commissions, first and foremost, the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) not to ignore any complaints and make impartial decisions to them, to identify all violations and not to repeat the predecessors’ mistakes about the recounting of votes in precincts.

We think that the unhealthy and explosive situation that endangers stability and democratic development is caused by the extremely high degree of polarization, which is unfortunately facilitated by political forces, although the government is mainly responsible for it that uses a number of unacceptable levers to maintain full power, which in our opinion is not in line with the principles of democratic governance.

We need neither one-party system, which is on the horizon, nor destabilization that will hinder the Western vector of Georgia’s development and contribute to the growth of Russian influence.

We urge the political forces not to go beyond the Constitution and solve the existing problems peacefully, through the dialogue and with the involvement of our international partners and the civil society.