In Georgia, tens of thousands are rallying against the parliamentary elections

Tens of thousands of Georgians gathered outside the country’s parliament on Monday night, demanding the annulment of parliamentary elections held over the weekend, which the president denounced as rigged with the help of Russia.

The rally deepened the political crisis in the South Caucasus country, where the ruling Georgian Dream party is becoming increasingly authoritarian and leaning towards Moscow.

“You did not lose the election,” President Salome Zourabishvili told demonstrators waving Georgian and European Union flags. “They stole your vote and tried to steal your future, but no one has the right to do that, and you won’t let anyone do that.”

Ms. Zurabishvili, a largely ceremonial president, told the crowd that she would defend the country’s path to Europe against the actions of “Georgian Dream.”

“We have no alternative and nothing else, we want to leave this country for future generations,” she said.

Georgy Vashadze, the leader of the United National Movement coalition, said that the opposition will not participate in any negotiations with the government and will seek to hold new elections under international supervision.

“We are not going to this parliament. We refuse all mandates,” he said. “We are not going to enter into any negotiations. We are going to fight for victory and we promise you, we will definitely win together.”

Ms Zurabishvili told the crowd that “a full picture must be drawn of how this massive, systematic vote theft took place”, adding that it was an “unprecedented, pre-planned operation that deprived us of our votes, our parliament and our constitution”. . She did not provide any evidence.

Protester Natia Chachava, wrapped in a Georgian flag, said that the demonstrators “don’t want Russia, we don’t want to go back to Russia or back to the Soviet Union.”

Lana Togonidze, a 20-year-old student, expressed hope that the West “will see that the Georgian people do not support this government, we hope that they will not recognize these elections as legitimate, and they will not confirm this government.”

Ms. Zurabishvili, who refused to recognize the official results, previously told The Associated Press that Georgia fell victim to Russian pressure against joining the EU.

“We saw that Russian propaganda was used directly,” said Ms. Zurabishvili, a fierce critic of Georgian Dream. She said the government “worked side by side with Russia” and “probably” received help from Moscow’s security services.

The US and European Union have called for a full investigation into Saturday’s election results.

“Georgians, like all Europeans, must be masters of their own destiny,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The Central Election Commission said that “Georgian Dream” won 54.8% of the votes after almost all ballots were counted. The party, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made her fortune in Russia, has passed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBT+ rights.

The protest is the only way Georgians can “express that their votes are stolen, that their future is stolen,” Ms. Zurabishvili told the AP.

She expressed hope that the US and the EU would support the demonstrations.

“We need the firm support of our European partners, our American partners,” Ms. Zurabishvili said, adding that it is in the interests of a “powerful Europe” to be present in the Caucasus and for the region to be stable.

Asked if she wanted to impose sanctions on Georgian officials, Ms. Zurabishvili told the AP that it was up to Western leaders, but “of course, this is not the time to restore relations with a government that is currently illegitimate.”

The Kremlin rejected the accusations of interference.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, a member of Georgian Dream, accused the president of creating a “coup scenario” that “contradicts the constitutional order and democratic elections.”

The EU has suspended Georgia’s membership application indefinitely due to the Russian-style “external influence law” passed in June. Many Georgians saw Saturday’s vote as a key referendum on the possibility of joining the EU.

The election campaign in the country of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, was marked by a fierce battle for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.

European observers said the election took place in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by intimidation and incidents of vote-buying, double voting and physical violence.

During the campaign, Georgian Dream used “anti-Western and hostile rhetoric … promoted Russian disinformation, manipulation and conspiracy theories,” said Antonio López-Isturiz White, head of the European Parliament’s monitoring delegation.

Election observers noted that cases of intimidation and other violations are particularly visible in rural areas.

Georgian Dream won the largest share of votes – almost 90% – in the Javakheti region in southern Georgia. In the capital, he received no more than 44% in any district.

Prime Minister Iraklii Kobakhidze, a member of Georgian Dream, described his party’s success as “impressive and obvious” and that “any attempts to talk about election manipulation … are doomed to failure.”

Initial figures indicated that the turnout was one of the highest since Georgian Dream first won control of parliament in 2012. The party has pledged to continue pushing for EU membership, but also wants to “reset” ties with Georgia’s former imperial master, Russia.

In 2008, Georgia fought and lost a brief war with Moscow, which then recognized the independence of two separatist regions of Georgia and increased its military presence there.