President of Georgia: The country became a victim of the Russian “special operation” in the elections

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said the country was the victim of a Russian “special operation” as she sided with the Georgian opposition to say it did not recognize the results of the vote.

She called on Georgians to take to the capital’s main street at 7 p.m. local time on Monday to protest the results, which she said were “a complete falsification, a complete theft of your votes.”

She spoke the day after elections that could determine Georgia’s place in Europe.

The Central Election Commission reported on Sunday that the ruling Georgian Dream party won almost 55% of the votes with almost 100% of the ballots counted.

European election monitors said the election took place in a “divisive” environment marked by intimidation and incidents of physical violence that undermined the results of the vote.

After a divisive election campaign, early figures suggest turnout was the highest since the ruling party was first elected in 2012.

Officials monitoring the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said they had numerous concerns about the conduct of the election, including vote-buying, double voting, physical violence and intimidation.

Georgian Dream used hostile rhetoric, “promoted Russian disinformation” and conspiracy theories before the election in an attempt to “undermine and manipulate the vote,” said the head of the European Parliament’s monitoring delegation, Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White.

According to him, the holding of elections is proof that the ruling party is “retreating from democracy.”

Georgian election observers, who were stationed across the country to monitor the vote, also reported numerous irregularities and said the results were “not in accordance with the will of the Georgian people.”

The Georgian Dream is becoming increasingly authoritarian, passing laws similar to those used by Russia to stifle free speech. Brussels suspended Georgia’s EU membership process indefinitely due to the “Russian law” passed in June.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, who made his fortune in Russia, announced victory almost immediately after the polls closed, saying: “It is rare in the world for the same party to achieve such success in such a difficult situation.”

Ahead of the election, he promised to ban opposition parties if his party won.

Tina Bokuchava, head of the opposition United National Movement party, accused the election commission of carrying out Mr. Ivanishvili’s “dirty order” and said that he “stole victory from the Georgian people and thereby stole the European future.”

She noted that the opposition will not accept the results and will “fight like never before to take back our European future”.

The UNM party said its headquarters were attacked on Saturday, and Georgian media reported two wounded in attacks near polling stations.

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

Some Georgians complained of intimidation and pressure to force them to vote for the ruling party.

Georgian Dream won the largest share of the vote – almost 90% – in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia, 83 miles west of the capital Tbilisi, where it failed to win more than 44% of the vote in any district.

Before the election, the Associated Press visited the region, where many people are ethnic Armenians who speak Armenian, Russian and a limited amount of Georgian. Some voters suggested that local officials told them how to vote, while some questioned why Georgia needed a relationship with Europe and suggested that it would be better off united with Moscow.

According to polls, about 80% of Georgians are in favor of joining the EU, and the country’s constitution obliges its leaders to seek membership in this bloc and NATO.

Many fear that the “Georgian Dream” is dragging the country into authoritarianism and killing hopes of becoming a member of the EU.

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

And Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the first foreign leader to welcome the Georgian Dream and will be the first foreign leader to visit Georgia and meet the prime minister when he visits the capital on Monday and Tuesday.