Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze reaffirmed Tbilisi’s dedication to becoming a member of the European Union however stated would delay its accession bid as accused Brussels of “blackmail” within the course of.
The announcement got here hours after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding decision rejecting the outcomes of Georgia’s Oct. 26 parliamentary elections attributable to “significant irregularities.”
The decision known as for brand new elections to be held inside a 12 months underneath worldwide supervision and for sanctions to be imposed on prime Georgian officers, together with Kobakhidze.
Accusing the European Parliament and “some European politicians” of “blackmail,” Kobakhidze stated: “We have decided not to bring up the issue of joining the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.”
But he pledged to proceed implementing the required reforms, asserting that “by 2028, Georgia will be more prepared than any other candidate country to open accession talks with Brussels and become a member state in 2030.”
The former Soviet nation formally gained EU candidate standing in December 2023.
But Brussels has successfully frozen Georgia’s accession course of till Tbilisi takes concrete steps to handle its democratic backsliding.
Opposition lawmakers are boycotting the nation’s new parliament, alleging fraud within the October polls, during which the ruling Georgian Dream occasion held onto its majority.
Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili – at loggerheads with Georgian Dream – has declared the poll “unconstitutional” and is searching for to annul the election outcomes by the Constitutional Court.
Following Kobakhidze’s assertion, Zurabishvili has introduced an “emergency meeting” with overseas diplomats, her workplace stated.
‘Existential disaster’
On Thursday, Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously for Kobakhidze to proceed as prime minister.
But constitutional regulation specialists have stated that any selections made by the brand new parliament are invalid as a result of it permitted its personal credentials in violation of a authorized requirement to await a courtroom ruling on Zurabishvili’s bid to annul the election outcomes.
One of the authors of Georgia’s structure, Vakhtang Khmaladze, stated: “From the legal point of view, a head of government approved by an illegitimate parliament is equally illegitimate.”
“With democratic state institutions no more, Georgia’s statehood faces an existential crisis,” he informed AFP.
Georgian Dream – which has been accused of democratic backsliding and shifting Tbilisi away from Europe and nearer to Moscow – denies allegations of electoral fraud.
The occasion’s nomination of Kobakhidze for prime minister in February had raised eyebrows within the West over his claims that European international locations and the United States had been attempting to pull Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Addressing lawmakers forward of Thursday’s vote, Kobakhidze introduced his cupboard’s new program, entitled “With peace, dignity, prosperity, towards the European Union.”
“Our goal is to achieve EU membership by 2030,” he stated, including: “It is also crucial for the EU to respect our national interests and traditional values.”
‘Large-scale fraud’
A lawyer and college professor, Kobakhidze, 46, served as parliamentary speaker between 2016 and 2019 and as vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe rights watchdog from 2020 to 2022.
He is seen as a loyal ally of highly effective oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who’s Georgian Dream’s honorary chairman.
Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest man, holds no official authorities place however is extensively believed to drag the strings of energy.
After the October vote, a gaggle of Georgia’s main election screens stated that they had proof of a “complex scheme of large-scale electoral fraud” that swayed ends in favor of Georgian Dream.
Tens of 1000’s have taken to the streets to protest the alleged fraud.
EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell stated final week “The election will have to be investigated” and introduced Brussels was sending a delegation to Georgia.
Brussels had warned Tbilisi that the conduct of the election can be decisive for its prospects of becoming a member of the bloc.
The aim of EU membership is enshrined in Georgia’s structure and – based on opinion polls – supported by 80% of the nation’s inhabitants.
Source: www.dailysabah.com