Brussels, 05/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - After visiting Georgia on 3-4 June, members of the European Parliament's delegation have expressed their concern about the political and social polarisation and the excessive personalisation of politics in Georgia. “We are concerned about the high level of political and social polarisation between the supporters of the currently ruling Georgian Dream coalition and the opposition United National Movement, as well as the undue personalisation of Georgian politics”, stated Libor Roucek (S&D, Czech Republic), Krzystof Lisek and Jan Kowalski (EPP, Poland), Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, Poland), Annemie Neyt-Uytterbroeck (ALDE, Belgium), Boris Zala (S&D, Slovakia) and Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, Austria) in a press release. They recalled that “constructive, peaceful and dialectic cohabitation is a sign of democracy”. The presidential elections will be a test for the maturity of Georgian democracy, the MEPs added.
In the view of the delegation, “the widespread demand for justice should be accomplished through the reaffirmation of the rule of law, due process and fight of impunity, not only through statements but also through tangible actions so as to avoid allegations of politically motivated prosecutions”.
The MEPs underlined that “the reform of the judiciary should be carried out and completed as a priority, ensuring the independence and impartiality of the judiciary”. They emphasised that the reform of the High Justice Council and the powers of the prosecutor general “should be considered as high priorities”.
The delegation hailed the peaceful transfer of power. “We acknowledge that the peaceful transfer of power from the incumbency to the opposition represents a valuable democratic precedent in a country of the Eastern Partnership, for which all involved actors deserve praise”, the MEPs stated, welcoming also the broad consensus in favour of the European orientation across the political landscape. (CG/transl.fl)