"It is completely incomprehensible why a European structure is setting the appointment of repeat parliamentary elections as a precondition for recognizing the mandates of the Georgian delegation. Of course, our country will not agree to any such precondition," said Davit Matikashvili, Chairman of the Procedural Issues and Rules Committee, in a statement to journalists.

According to him, any precondition in this regard is a direct attempt to pressure Georgia and its government while disregarding the will of 1,120,000 voters who supported "Georgian Dream."

As Matikashvili noted, "Georgian Dream" is entirely open to cooperation, but preconditions that directly undermine respect for the will of the Georgian people cannot be accepted.

"The most important aspect of this issue is that Europe must approach nations and states with whom it seeks relations fairly and respectfully. A just approach first and foremost means respecting the decision of a nation's people, as expressed in elections. Everyone in Europe fully understands that parliamentary elections were held in Georgia, and according to the OSCE/ODIHR report, these elections took place in a fair and competitive environment without any violations that could have significantly influenced the outcome.

Given all of the above, it is completely unclear why a European structure is setting the appointment of repeat parliamentary elections as a precondition for recognizing the mandates of the Georgian delegation—elections that have already taken place. Our European colleagues know well that elections are an expression of the people's will, and society has already made that choice. Therefore, any precondition in this regard is a direct attempt to pressure Georgia and its government while disregarding the will of 1,120,000 voters who supported 'Georgian Dream.' So, of course, our country will not agree to any such precondition," Matikashvili stated.

For reference, the PACE Monitoring Committee is proposing two options regarding Georgia: recognition of the Georgian delegation's mandates under certain conditions or non-recognition.

Under the first option, the mandates of the Georgian delegation will be ratified on the condition that by April 2025, Georgian authorities:

• Begin working with the opposition and civil society to create an electoral environment for genuinely democratic new elections,
• Take steps to restore progress toward EU membership,
• End police brutality and human rights violations,
• Cease the misuse of legal proceedings against demonstrators, journalists, and civil society leaders, and
• Fully respect freedom of expression and assembly.

In April 2025, the Assembly will assess Georgia’s progress on these points and will have the option to reconsider, including suspending, the delegation's mandates.

In the second option proposed by the Monitoring Committee, the demands for Georgian authorities remain the same, but in this scenario, the Georgian delegation’s mandates would not be ratified in PACE.