Georgian protests parliamentary elections, which the president claims were rigged – National

Tens of thousands Georgians rallied outside parliament on Monday evening demanding its repeal weekend parliamentary elections which the president claims was falsified with the help of Russia.

The rally highlighted the tension in the country, which lies between Russia and Turkey, where the ruling Georgian Dream party is becoming increasingly authoritarian and leaning toward Moscow. However, after a few hours, everything ended peacefully and there were no clear plans for further actions.

“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!”

Zurabishvili, a mostly 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, leader of the National Unity Movement coalition, said the opposition would not participate in any negotiations with the government and would insist on a new vote 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.”

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 specific details and did not present evidence of Russia’s involvement in vote theft.

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.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much hope,” said Andro Dadiani, speaking about whether the protests could effect change, but added that he felt he had to do his civic duty and be present.

Zurabishvili, who rejected 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 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 shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has passed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.

The protest is the only way Georgians can “express that their votes are stolen, that their future is stolen,” 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,” 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, 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 US representatives called on Georgia to abolish authoritarian legislation, eliminate flaws in the elections and move Georgia towards Europe.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the election in Georgia was “shaped by the politics of the ruling party, including abuse of public resources, vote-buying and voter intimidation.”

He said the U.S. has consistently called on the Georgian government to “refrain” from its anti-democratic actions and said “we do not rule out further consequences.”

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called for a full investigation into all reports of election-related irregularities, as did EU Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali, who said the Georgian Dream campaign was “directly inspired” by Russian propaganda and an “unprecedented level of disinformation”. . »

The Kremlin rejected the accusations of interference.

“We do not interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs and have no intention of interfering,” said Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Peskov. He denied that it was the West that tried to influence the vote.

Answering a question about Zurabishvili’s call to Georgians to join the protests, he called it an attempt to destabilize the country.

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, called his party’s success “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.

European Council President Charles Michel called on Georgian officials to “quickly, transparently and independently investigate” election irregularities and said Georgian Dream must demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the EU.

Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, who was the first foreign leader to welcome the Georgian Dream, arrived on Monday for a two-day visit to Georgia.

Zurabishvili said he was a “special friend” of Georgian Dream and dismissed his visit as a “political game”.

Orbán has “no mandate from the EU Council” to visit Georgia, Massrali said on behalf of the EU.

— Associated Press reporters Sofiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi and Raf Kasert in Brussels contributed.