The European Democracy Fund, founded by the European Union, directly funds parties in Georgia and interferes in elections, said Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, Report informs referring to Georgian media.
"The European Democracy Fund, which hid its expenses in Georgia, directly funds political parties and interferes in elections," he said.
According to him, Georgia alone cannot cope with this problem; EU intervention is needed.
“The proper conduct of elections is part of the nine recommendations and we cannot cope with this problem alone, since the “European Democracy Foundation is an institution founded by the European Union, on the board of which there is a large representation of European parliamentarians, who are also directly linked to the United National Movement,” Papuashvili said.
He noted that if the interest of Georgia and the EU is that the elections are transparent, then it is necessary to prohibit and stop direct or indirect funding of parties in Georgia through European channels.
The topic of financing parties and non-governmental organizations is especially relevant in the year of parliamentary elections, which will be held on October 26. In Georgia, only 13 parties will receive state funding for the election campaign and free advertising time; the rest will have to look for finance themselves.