The president of Georgia will not allow parliamentary elections, calls for protests – National
TBILISI, Georgia – Georgia's president said on Sunday he did not see the results of this weekend's parliamentary vote, which election officials said was won by the ruling party, adding that the country was the victim of a “special Russian campaign” aimed at removing him. the way to Europe.
Standing alongside opposition leaders, President Salome Zourabichvili called on Georgians to gather Monday night on a main street in Tbilisi to protest what she called “a complete lie, a complete theft of your votes,” raising the prospect of further political unrest in the South Caucasus country.
He spoke on the day after the election that could decide whether Georgia joins Europe or falls under Russian rule.
“This election cannot be recognized, because the recognition of Russia's entry here, Georgia's submission to Russia,” Zourabichvili said.
The Central Election Commission said on Sunday that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, received 54.8% of Saturday's votes as almost 100% of the votes were counted.
Georgia's Dream has grown more authoritarian in the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to curtail freedom of expression.
Brussels suspended Georgia's EU membership process indefinitely because of Russia's “foreign influence” law, which was passed in June.
Many Georgians view Saturday's vote as a referendum on whether to join the European Union.
The election campaign in the South Caucasus country of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, has been dominated by foreign policy and marked by vote-baiting and allegations of a smear campaign.
Get daily world news
Get the day's top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Zourabichvili suggested that “Russian elections” were held in the country, and said that “technology was used to falsify. Such a thing has never happened.”
European election observers said the election was taking place in a “diverse” environment marked by intimidation and cases of vote-buying, double voting and violence.
During the campaign, Georgian Dream used “anti-Western rhetoric and hatred…
“What is strange is that the government has also said that it is continuing with the integration of Georgia in Europe,” he added.
The conduct of the election, he said, is more evidence that points to the “recession of democracy” of the ruling party.
European Council President Charles Michel said he had asked Georgian officials to “immediately, transparently and independently” investigate the election interference and called on the ruling party to show its “firm commitment” to the EU.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a member of Georgian Dream, on Sunday described his party's victory as “impressive and clear,” and said “any attempts to talk about election manipulation … will fail.”
Hungary's Victor Orbán was the first foreign leader to congratulate the Georgian Dream and will be the first foreign leader to visit Georgia and meet the prime minister during his visit to the capital on Monday and Tuesday.
Georgia's election observers, stationed across the country, also reported multiple violations and said the results did not reflect “the will of the Georgian people.”
In the capital of Tbilisi, Tiko Gelashvili, 32, said, “The published results are just lies and fake.”
Preliminary figures suggested that voter turnout was the highest since Georgian Dream was first elected in 2012.
The opposition United National Movement said its headquarters were attacked on Saturday and Georgian media reported that two people were hospitalized after being attacked outside polling stations.
“The most important question is whether these elections will be recognized by the international community,” said Natia Seskuria, executive director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies in Tbilisi. Georgia's “economic and political prospects” depend on the election, he said.
Georgians have a complicated relationship with Russia, which ruled from Moscow until Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008, and Moscow still occupies 20% of Georgia's territory.
Besides, the Georgian dream has adopted Russian-style laws and many Georgians fear that the government is pulling the country away from the West and into Moscow's orbit.
Election observers say incidents of intimidation and election violations have been seen especially in rural areas.
Georgian Dream received its highest share of the vote – around 90% turnout – in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia, 135 kilometers (83 miles) west of the capital. In Tbilisi, it did not receive more than 44% of the votes in any district.
Javakheti is mainly agricultural and the majority of the people are Armenians who speak Armenian, Russian and a limited amount of Georgian.
Before the election, the AP visited the district where voters suggested they were told how to vote by local officials. Several have questioned why Georgia needs a relationship with Europe and suggested that it would be better off partnering with Moscow.
Associated Press reporters Sophiko Megrelidze, in Tbilisi, and Raf Casert, in Brussels, contributed to this report.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
