Following an election filled with irregularities, the incumbent Georgian Dream party, a Kremlin-friendly government, is poised to retain power. The European Union needs to get more involved now, if Georgia is to have any chance of joining the community of democratic societies.

The October 26 parliamentary election in Georgia represented a turning point for a country once admired for its post-Soviet democratization record. Official results, tabulated by a GD-controlled Central Election Commission, showed the incumbents gaining 54 percent of the vote, while four opposition parties and coalitions collectively garnered 38 percent of the ballots cast. 

Major violations, including vote buying, voter intimidation, and ballot stuffing, have been documented. Nonetheless, Georgian Dream leaders have declared victory. The opposition, meanwhile, asserts the election was “stolen.” Georgian Dream, it is worth noting, has steered Georgia in recent years away from its constitutionally mandated goal of seeking EU membership, even though a clear majority of Georgians still favor EU accession.

Under the circumstances, Brussels should feel an obligation to help Georgia get back on a European-democratizing path. One way the EU can do so is by facilitating opposition efforts to unify their political forces. The Georgian people deserve an alternative to the ruling party. The EU’s engagement can provide much-needed diplomatic and political support.

At the same time, the EU should get actively involved in investigating allegations of fraud that potentially influenced the election’s outcome. Brussels can help form an international commission of independent experts to investigate alleged fraud and instances of voter intimidation. So far, unfortunately, EU officials have only encouraged the ruling party to oversee such an investigation, an exercise unlikely to be thorough or fair. An international inquiry would document irregularities and exert pressure on the Georgian government. Anything less is a meaningless gesture. 

Before an independent investigation even begins, the EU should pressure the Georgian government to sign a binding agreement committing it to hold new, free-and-fair elections if the investigation confirms instances of systematic electoral fraud. This agreement would serve as a pre-emptive safeguard, forcing the government to acknowledge the stakes and consequences of a rigged election.

To enforce this, the EU should communicate that failure to sign an agreement or follow the rules would trigger comprehensive sanctions. Such sanctions must directly impact the officials and power brokers within Georgian Dream, extending to their families and closest allies. The EU should make it clear close family members of key Georgian Dream officials, including spouses and children, would be banned from living, traveling, or studying within the EU if the terms of the agreement are violated. Any existing visas or residence permits would be revoked, forcing them to leave European territory immediately.

Moreover, the EU should freeze all assets held in Europe by officials and their immediate families, including bank accounts, properties, and business investments, in the case of a simple pro-democracy agreement not being upheld. 

This approach would send a clear signal that the EU will not tolerate electoral manipulation, and that democratic legitimacy is non-negotiable. It would also demonstrate a path toward restoring public trust in Georgian institutions, responding to the demands of the citizens for a democratic and accountable government.

The Georgian election ultimately may put pressure on the EU to reckon with its own issues connected with rising illiberal practices among member states, especially Hungary, that run counter to the union’s guiding principles. The EU’s ability to impose sanctions on Georgia faces challenges, particularly from Hungary, whose leader recently visited Georgia and validated Georgian Dream’s claim of victory. To counter likely Hungarian opposition to sanctions, the EU should consider new rules covering its foreign policy, introducing a qualified majority vote to override vetoes by lone members. Such a change would help the EU preserve its values within the union and promote them elsewhere. Unfortunately, the timing for such action is poor. Germany, long the EU’s engine, is now engulfed in a likely prolonged search for domestic political stability following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governingcoalition. Decisive action toward Georgia by the EU is unlikely, as long as Germany is inwardly focused. 

Inaction by the EU would undermine the aspirations of Georgian citizens who have consistently voiced their desire for a democratic and European future. Protests in Georgia reflect the public’s resistance to the government’s authoritarian tendencies. 

Georgia has become a test of the EU’s ability to uphold democratic standards and resist authoritarian rule. By taking a comprehensive action, the EU can reaffirm its commitment to democratic values, preserve its credibility, and potentially save an emerging democratic country from Russian influence.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect Eurasianet’s editorial position.