Georgia president says election was fraudulent – protests announced

and Nika Gvaramia from the opposition group Alliance for Change.Image: trapezoid

However, current President Zurabishvili's legal options to influence events are limited. It could refuse to call a new parliament for a constitutional convention. However, “Georgian Dream” announced that according to the constitution, it will hold its first meeting in ten days without the president.

Zurabishvili said after the post-election survey was released that the opposition would get 52% of the vote and could form a pro-Western majority in parliament. In contrast, the electoral commission saw four opposition groups crossing the 5% mark with just over 37% of the vote.

The traditionally divided opposition fears that Georgia, led by oligarchs who have enriched themselves in Moscow, will sway more towards neighboring Russia and eventually deviate from the EU line.

What do election observers say?

International and Georgian election observers criticized some irregularities. Myvote, a pro-European alliance made up of several NGOs and human rights groups, complained that the results did not reflect the will of voters.

In contrast, election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Security (OSCE) declined to judge whether the vote was fair and free, despite repeated pressing questions from reporters. They pointed out that there were 18 candidate lists on the ballot, including many from the opposition coalition. However, they complained of democratic backsliding compared to previous votes, including on electoral legislation.

Supporters of the ruling party were pleased with the result.Image: trapezoid

The OSCE mission expressed concern over numerous violations. Experts have complained, among other things, of voter intimidation, pressure on authorities, violence against observers, vote buying, multiple voting and stuffing of ballots into ballot boxes. The OSCE called for an investigation and called for further democratic reforms.

Meanwhile, delegation leader Pascal Alizadeh praised the country's “democratic vitality” and pledged further help on the country's path to EU membership. Overall, the Frenchman said, the vote was well organized. Other observers also emphasized the strong involvement of civil society as a whole in controlling the voting and counting.

What does the President of the European Council say?

After Georgia's parliamentary elections, European Council President Charles Michel called for clarification on allegations of irregularities. Michel wrote on the social network X that he would also put future relations with the former Soviet republics in the South Caucasus on the agenda of the next European Council in Budapest.

He said he shared the caution of international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Security (OSCE) about Saturday's vote. Michel wrote that the country now needs constructive dialogue across the political spectrum. Georgia's electoral authorities declared the ruling Georgian Dream party the winner despite extensive evidence of irregularities. The defeated opposition wanted to protest the result.

“We reiterate the EU's call on Georgia's leaders to demonstrate their compliance with the EU approach in the country,” Michel wrote.

What makes the ruling party behave this way?

The ruling Georgian Dream party promised peace and stability during the election campaign, but an opposition victory would raise fears of war with Russia. Iraqi Prime Minister Kobachidze has denied accusations of electoral fraud. “Our victory is clear,” he said. Even in past votes, the opposition has never reached the scale of admitting defeat. The Georgian Dream party has been in power since 2012.

Kobachidze received congratulations on the victory from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his South Caucasus neighbors Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Orban, who is ideologically close to the Georgian Dream, is expected to take office on Monday, coinciding with opposition protests.

What happens next?

A pro-Western opposition coalition announced it would fight for victory. Although they are at odds with each other, they share the goal of getting rid of the 68-year-old billionaire Ivanishvili and adopting a pro-EU line. Titintin Bokuchava, chairman of former President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement party, said election managers were only following Ivanishvili's orders. Action plans for government opponents are being coordinated.

“The election was stolen from the opposition. This was a constitutional coup and an abuse of power,” said Nika Gwaramia of the Alliance for Change. The election was faked based on a complex technical scheme. He gave no details.

background

The government blames the 2008 war with Russia on former President Saakashvili's United National Movement, by far the largest opposition party, and wants to ban it. At the time, Russia recognized Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states. Georgia lost 20% of its territory.

The European Union accuses the country's leaders of taking an anti-European course, and human rights activists complain of authoritarian tendencies. Despite massive protests, the government has pushed for laws similar to those in Russia, including one to control financing of foreign NGOs and media in an effort to prevent so-called outside influence. The rights of gays, lesbians and other sexual minorities have also been restricted – to the delight of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which remains hugely influential in the country.

A total of about 3.5 million Georgians at home and abroad were asked to vote. Preliminary information shows voter turnout at about 59%, three percentage points higher than in 2020. The Black Sea country with 3.7 million inhabitants has been a candidate for EU membership since the end of 2023. However, the accession process has been put on hold due to controversial laws.

(dab/con/sda/dpa)