Opposition accuses Georgian authorities of anti-European rhetoric

Georgian authorities have promised to lower the electoral threshold for parties at the parliamentary elections if the European Union (EU) grants the country the status of an EU candidate. Putting forward an ultimatum looks like an attempt to derail the course towards European integration, the opposition has reacted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 23, the Council of the European Union decided to recognize Georgia's European perspective and stated that it was ready to grant Georgia the status of a candidate for EU membership "as soon as the outlined priorities are fulfilled."

The ruling "Georgian Dream" Party will start working towards lowering the electoral barrier if Georgia is granted the status of a candidate country for the EU membership, Irakli Kobakhidze, the party leader, has stated.

Georgian oppositionists have treated Mr Kobakhidze's statement as an ultimatum to the EU. Levan Bezhashvili, an MP from the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party, said that Georgia cannot put forward ultimatums to the EU.

"Irakli Kobakhidze has actually put forward an ultimatum to the EU: if the EU grants Georgia the candidate status, then (the authorities) will show good will and lower the electoral barrier to two percent. This is absurd. We are not in a position to present any kind of additional ultimatums. By this rhetoric and these statements, Georgia is moved farther from the candidate status," Mr Bezhashvili said on air of the "Mtavari Arkhi" TV Channel on July 8.

Paata Mandjgaladze, another oppositional MP, has treated the conditions, put forward to Georgia by the EU for obtaining the candidate status, as "a test that the 'Georgian Dream' failed." "We may lose the prospect of getting the status from the EU in the near future. This is an ultimatum to the opposition, the people of the country and the West," the MP has summed up.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 9, 2022 at 08:27 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.