European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday pushed for a swift and transparent investigation into alleged election irregularities in Georgia and said he would put the issue on the agenda of an EU summit in November.

“Alleged irregularities during the elections in Georgia must be seriously clarified and addressed,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

Georgia’s ruling party won nearly 54 percent of the vote in Saturday’s parliamentary election, the election commission announced Sunday, with opposition parties contesting the result, alleging significant irregularities.

The result, with almost all districts counted, was a blow to pro-Western Georgians who had to choose between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition that aims for rapid integration with Europe.

Michel said he would put the issue on the agenda of the informal EU summit in Budapest on November 8, which would “assess the situation and determine the next steps in our relations with Georgia”.

He also called on the Georgian leadership to demonstrate its firm commitment to the country’s path towards the EU.

“Constructive and inclusive dialogue across the political spectrum is now paramount,” he said.

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, elected for a fourth term, will receive 89 seats in parliament, one less than it secured in 2020, the commission said, while the four pro-Western opposition parties receive a total of 61 seats.

A series of violations were reported on Sunday by three separate observer missions, which said there were attempts to tamper with the result, bribery, voter intimidation and violence near polling stations that could have affected the result, but there was no evidence of fraud.

The European Council represents the 27 member states of the European Union.

The statement of the president of the European Council in detail:

After the parliamentary elections in Georgia, I intend to put Georgia on the agenda of the informal Summit in Budapest.

We note the OSCE/ODIHR preliminary assessment and call on the Central Electoral Commission and other relevant authorities to fulfill their duty to promptly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof.

These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed.

We reiterate the EU’s call on the Georgian leadership to demonstrate its firm commitment to the country’s path towards the EU, also in line with the conclusions of the June and October summits.

Constructive and inclusive dialogue across the political spectrum is now paramount.

The November Summit will assess the situation and determine the next steps in our relations with Georgia.