European Council President Charles Michel attends a press conference in Brussels, Belgium October 17, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday pushed for a swift and transparent investigation of alleged irregularities during the elections in Georgia and said he would put the topic on the agenda of an EU summit in November.
"The alleged irregularities during the Georgia elections must be seriously clarified and addressed," he said in a post on the social media platform X.
Georgia's ruling party won nearly 54% of the vote in Saturday's parliamentary election, the electoral commission said on Sunday, as opposition parties disputed the result and vote monitors reported significant violations.
The result, with almost all precincts counted, was a blow for pro-Western Georgians who had cast the election as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition aiming to fast-track integration with Europe.
Michel said he would put the topic on the agenda of the informal EU summit in Budapest on Nov. 8 which would "assess the situation and set the next steps in our relations with Georgia".
He also called on the Georgian leadership to demonstrate its firm commitment to the country's path to the EU.
"Constructive and inclusive dialogue across the political spectrum is now paramount," he said.
Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party, now headed for a fourth term in office, will take 89 seats in parliament, one less than it secured in 2020, the commission said, with four pro-Western opposition parties receiving 61 seats in total.
A series of violations were reported on Sunday by three separate monitoring missions who said the alleged violations, including ballot-stuffing, bribery, voter intimidation and violence near polling stations, could have affected the result but stopped short of calling the outcome fraudulent.
The European Council groups the 27 member states of the European Union.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by David Evans)
