Georgian MP rules out need for repeat elections

There is no basis for holding repeat or new elections in Georgia, according to Tengiz Sharmanashvili, member of the parliament from the "Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia" party. His remarks, reported by Azernews, came in response to ongoing debates over the legitimacy of the October 26 parliamentary elections.

Sharmanashvili addressed criticisms raised by President Salome Zurabichvili regarding the OSCE/ODIHR's final report on the elections, accusing the president of attempting to "build her position on fraud."

He noted that while the OSCE/ODIHR report identified certain violations, these were not significant enough to undermine the election results. "We have also encountered harsher criticism. However, the overall picture shows that the election administration worked very well. Using this report as a basis for holding new elections is completely unfounded," Sharmanashvili stated.

The MP emphasized that both the findings of international organizations and the election's overall conduct do not justify calls for repeat elections.