The Chairperson of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Pia Kauma, postponed her planned visit to Georgia following criticism from the Georgian opposition and international politicians. A meeting with representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party could have been seen as international recognition of the legitimacy of the current government, which allegedly falsified the parliamentary elections.

The Georgian opposition had earlier criticized the OSCE PA President's plans to visit Tbilisi for meetings with the Georgian authorities, which, according to opponents of the ruling party, came to power illegitimately as a result of electoral fraud on October 26, 2024.

Opposition parties that received mandates in the disputed elections stated in their written appeals to the OSCE PA Chairperson that a visit to Georgia at this stage would be inappropriate, citing "the risk that such visits will be used for propaganda purposes."

"The goal of the self-declared regime is to achieve international recognition. Unfortunately, such visits are often exploited for propaganda purposes, further complicating the situation for democratic forces and civil society," stated a letter from Georgian opposition figures dated January 5. They urged Kauma to visit Georgia only when it would contribute to the preparation of re-elections and the release of political prisoners.

Meanwhile, Georgia's fifth President, Salome Zourabichvili, whom the opposition continues to consider the country's only legitimate president despite her term ending in December, stated that the visit of the OSCE PA Chairperson to Georgia "outrages the people who stood on the streets of Tbilisi for 40 nights protesting election fraud and a turn towards Russia."

Foreign politicians, including MEPs Rihards Kols and Rasa Juknevičienė, as well as the Chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, also voiced opposition to Pia Kauma's visit. In a post on the social network "X," Wilson shared his letter to the OSCE PA President advising her to "reconsider" the decision to travel to Tbilisi, noting that Georgian Dream would likely "use this visit solely as a means to legitimize their authoritarian power grab."

The Georgian Dream party, which was not congratulated on its election victory by the majority of countries, including the U.S., has repeatedly cited the visit of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, to Georgia as evidence of its international legitimacy. This visit, made in December of last year, along with statements Berset made in Tbilisi, sparked mixed reactions among critics of the Georgian government. Major opposition parties claimed that the Secretary General of the Council of Europe delivered "irresponsible messages during his trip to Georgia, raising legitimate doubts about his integrity."

Source: civil.ge