DISINFO: PACE deputies are striving for a change of government in Georgia
SUMMARY
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is mainly composed of deputies who are focused on the tasks of specific forces, and their goal from day one was to facilitate the change of government in Georgia in every possible way.
RESPONSE
Recurrent anti-western disinformation narrative discrediting the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), as being partisan and against the government of Georgia.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) operates on the principles of upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, which are core values of the Council of Europe.
On January 29, 2025, PACE resolved to delay ratifying the full credentials of the Georgian delegation until stringent conditions are met to set Georgia back on the democratic path. PACE has demanded that the Georgian authorities announce new elections and release all political prisoners by the time of the Assembly’s next session. Until these conditions are met, the Georgian delegation has been stripped of several rights within PACE.
Later, on April 10 2025, PACE passed a resolution titled “Challenge, on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary delegation of Georgia” with 89 votes in favour, 3 against, and 5 abstentions. The resolution strongly criticised the Georgian government for what it described as “rapid democratic backsliding” and warned that continued erosion of democratic governance could jeopardise Georgia’s position in the organisation.
Among the Assembly’s key concerns are the Georgian authorities’ failure to act on urgent recommendations regarding electoral reform, media freedom, and civil liberties, as well as the failure to “release all political prisoners.” PACE also condemned recent amendments to the Electoral Code, which, according to the Venice Commission, risk entrenching the ruling party’s power and undermining political pluralism. The Assembly urged repeal of these changes and called for independent oversight of electoral district delimitation.
Pro-Kremlin outlets have been warning for a long time of an upcoming ‘colour revolution’ in Georgia in order to pre-emptively shape the information space ahead of what were foreseeable and likely protests against the ruling party, already shaken by previous massive demonstrations against the so-called ‘Foreign Agents Law’. The topic was covered in detail in this analysis.
This kind of rhetoric aims to fuel anti-Western sentiment in Georgia, portraying Western institutions as an adversary rather than a partner. Such narratives are commonly used in Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns to undermine Georgia’s European aspirations and paint Western institutions as meddling forces. By distorting the Western/European institutions’ stance, these accusations attempt to erode public trust in European integration and democratic reforms.
Read also EUvsDisinfo's articles on “Twists and turns: Georgian Dream rhetoric on the EU”, “Georgia: Resilience in action” and “Georgia: The next colour revolution?”.
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