World

Western observers confirm intimidation during Georgian elections

Published

1 year ago

October 27, 2024

Western observers confirm intimidation during Georgian elections

International observers said there were concerns with the electoral process both before and during elections in Georgia, fuelling polarisation between Georgian Dream and opposition parties who claim the result was “rigged.”

There were various issues with the electoral process during last night’s elections in Georgia, according to a Western delegation of observers co-ordinated by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Whilst members said that voting on election day was generally well-organised, they pointed to a tense and pressured environment pre-election day as well as several instances of intimidation and procedural inconsistencies during the day itself.

“During our observation, we noted cases of vote-buying and double-voting before and during elections, especially in rural areas” Iulian Bulai, head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation, said.

He added that the presence of cameras inside polling stations added to a climate of pressure and that an observer from his delegation found their car vandalised when carrying out assessments.

Georgian Dream declared they had a majority after hours of voting yesterday based on data from the country’s electoral commission. Opposition parties have fiercely disputed the results, claiming the election was “rigged.”

In 24% of cases analysed by a delegation from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights voter secrecy was found to be compromised.

Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White, who represented a group of observers from the European Parliament, pointed to a tense and highly polarised environment for voters saying, “Although, outwardly, the campaign was quite subdued, there were signs that efforts were underway to undermine and manipulate the vote.”

Observers pointed to an uneven playing field, with the incumbent Georgian Dream party having significantly more financial resources in the run-up to the election.

They said although there was clear political bias across all domestic media outlets in Georgia, significantly more time on-screen time was dedicated to the ruling party before voting started.

“There were reports of misuse of public resources and administrative capacity for the benefit of the ruling party. Pressure exerted on civil servants to participate in campaign events and vote,” Lopez-Isturiz White said.

He added that there was evidence that institutions such as the newly established Anti-Corruption Bureau were being “instrumentalised for political purposes.”

The OSCE said that 529 observers were deployed across Georgia, including a delegation of 12 from the European Parliament.

The observers analysed the environment before the election, including media coverage of election campaigns, as well as procedures that took place on the day itself.

The delegation declined to answer questions on how its findings would impact the formation of a new government in Georgia, but confirmed they would be preparing separate reports and monitoring the post-election environment.

Their findings are likely to add fuel to Georgia’s opposition parties, who have contested the results of the country’s electoral commission which found Georgian Dream to be within a comfortable majority.

Georgian Dream have denied reports that the election was rigged. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said following results, “The Georgian people made the only choice for which there was no alternative; they chose peace and the country’s development, its bright, European future.”

European leaders have been relatively quiet about congratulating the ruling party, with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán congratulating Georgian Dream in a post on X.

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World

Video: Why Is the U.S. Threatening Venezuela?

Published

2 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Video: Why Is the U.S. Threatening Venezuela?

Venezuela doesn’t play a large role in the drug trade to the United States, so what is motivating the massive military buildup? Julian E. Barnes, who reports on intelligence and international security, discusses the issues with our senior writer Katrin Bennhold.

World

Putin calls Trump’s peace plan a ‘starting point’ as he warns Ukraine to pull back or face ‘force’

Published

3 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Putin calls Trump’s peace plan a ‘starting point’ as he warns Ukraine to pull back or face ‘force’

Putin arrives for meeting in Kyrgyzstan

Putin meets with the heads of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for a summit in Kyrgyzstan. (Russian pool via AP.)

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Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed interest in using President Trump’s peace plan as a negotiating departure point to end the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia.

“We need to sit down and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, according to an Associated Press report. He added, “Every word matters.”

Putin described U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan as “a set of issues put forward for discussion” rather than a draft agreement.

RUSSIA WARNS IT MAY REJECT US-UKRAINE PEACE PLAN IF IT FAILS TO UPHOLD ALASKA SUMMIT ‘UNDERSTANDINGS’

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Russian journalists after the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

“If Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy, hostilities will cease. If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this by force,” the Russian strongman said.

Andy Barr, R-Ky., a House Foreign Affairs Committee member, told Fox News Digital the situation reinforces the need for strong American leadership. “Russia invaded Ukraine because Joe Biden was the weakest president in American history.”

Barr, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky said, “President Trump’s peace-through-strength leadership kept Putin fully contained. This war never would have happened under his watch. Trump is the peace president… the only leader who can end this war and bring stability back to Europe.”

However, Putin critics believe he is seeking to trick the U.S. and the European Union.

The former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who predicted Putin’s jingoism and invasion of Ukraine, told the Polish international news network TVP that “Peace under Putin is unachievable for one simple reason: Putin is war — and Russia is gearing up for even more.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow, Russia Aug. 6, 2025. (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters)

Kasparov has also criticized NATO, Trump and the EU for failing to defend Ukraine and evict Russia from Ukraine’s entire territory.

“We owe them everything,” Kasparov recently said about Ukraine at the Halifax International Security Forum.

MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE

Kremlin officials have had little to say so far about the peace plan put forward last week by Trump. Putin has been recalcitrant about accepting previous Trump plans to end the war.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine completely withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions before Russia considers any sort of “peace negotiations” — notably including areas of each of those oblasts that Russia does not occupy. He also wants to keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, talk to the press as their consultations continue at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

The Institute for the Study of War on Wednesday cast doubt on Russian claims that its invasion is unstoppable as it is still struggling to capture cities in the eastern Donetsk region.

“Data on Russian forces’ rate of advance indicates that a Russian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, and a rapid Russian seizure of the rest of Donetsk Oblast is not imminent,” the Washington-based think tank said. “Recent Russian advances elsewhere on the front line have largely been opportunistic and exploited seasonal weather conditions.

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U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week, the Kremlin says, while U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who in recent weeks has played a high-profile role in the peace efforts, may be heading to Kyiv.

The initial U.S. peace proposal was criticized for being skewed toward Russian demands, but an amended version emerged from talks in Geneva on Sunday between American and Ukrainian officials. Sidelined European leaders, fearing for their own security amid Russian aggression, are angling for deeper involvement in the process.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at benjamin.weinthal@fox.com

World

EU Migration Commissioner: ‘We need the trust of the people back’

Published

5 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner sees the new Pact and Asylum and Migration on track to tackle an issue that has been feeding populism for many years. He also defends negotiating with the Taliban and initiatives to negotiate ‘return hubs’ with non-EU countries.