Georgian speaker condemns foreign-funded organizations for “meddling” in politics
- 12 February, 00:38
Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has criticized foreign-funded organizations of “meddling” into the country’s politics, especially to the electoral process.
In a Facebook post published on February 9, Papuashvili accused certain foreign-funded forces of attempts to disrupt the country’s ongoing rapprochement with the European Union.
Papuashvili said certain NGOs “act as proxies for radical parties, but shun political responsibility for their actions.”
Furthermore, the Speaker of the parliament suggested that ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2024, NGOs involved in election monitoring should have to disclose their funding and be transparent about their source of income.
“This would nicely match the Georgian government’s exemplary record on transparency, corroborated by many authoritative international bodies, including the Open Governance Partnership,” Papuashvil wrote.
He further accused certain forces of “disinformation campaign” that discredited the 2020 elections, adding that elections are not a matter only of the government’s obligation. “All actors, including the government, opposition, civil society, media, and international actors, with their political or financial contribution, bear their share of responsibility for contributing to free and fair elections,” he went on saying.
Papuashvil’s statement came after ten Georgian watchdog groups denouncing his decision to exclude them from talks relating to Georgia’s EU candidacy.
