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Georgians protest parliamentary elections that the president claims are rigged – National

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Tens of thousands of Georgians rallied outside parliament on Monday night, demanding the annulment of a weekend parliamentary election that the president claimed was rigged with Russia’s help.

The gathering highlighted tensions in the country between Russia and Turkey, where the ruling Georgian Dream party has become increasingly authoritarian and leaning toward Moscow. However, it ended peacefully after several hours and there were no clear plans for further action.

“You did not lose the election,” President Salome Zurabishvili told demonstrators waving Georgian and European Union flags. “They stole your voice and tried to steal your future, but no one has the right to do that and you will not allow anyone to do that!”

Zurabishvili, a mostly ceremonial president, told the crowd that she would defend the country’s path to Europe against the antics of Georgian Dream.

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She said: “We have no alternative and nothing else. We want to leave this country to future generations.”


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The Georgian lawmaker was submerged as Parliament overruled his veto of the Foreign Agents Law


Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the National Unity Movement coalition, said the opposition would not participate in any talks with the government and would push for a new vote under international supervision.

“We will not enter this parliament. We reject all mandates,” he added. “We will not enter into any negotiations. We will fight until victory and we promise you that we will definitely win together.”

“A full picture must be drawn of how this massive systematic theft of votes occurred,” Zurabishvili told the crowd, adding that it was “an unprecedented and pre-planned operation that robbed us of our votes, our parliament and our constitution.” It did not provide specific details or provide evidence of Russia’s involvement in stealing votes.

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Demonstrator Natya Chachava, who was wrapped in the Georgian flag, said that the demonstrators “do not want Russia, we do not want to return to Russia or return to the Soviet Union.”

Student Lana Togonidze, 20, said she hopes the West will see “that the Georgian people do not stand with this government, and we hope that they will not recognize the legitimacy of these elections, and will not grant legitimacy to this government.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much hope,” said Andrew Dadiani, speaking about whether the protests could bring about change, but adding that he felt he had to do his civic duties and attend.


Zurabishvili, who rejected the official results, had previously told the Associated Press that Georgia had fallen victim to Russian pressure against joining the European Union.

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“We have seen that Russian propaganda has been used directly,” said Zurabishvili, a fierce critic of the Georgian Dream. She said the government was “working side by side with Russia” and “may have” received assistance from Moscow’s security services.

The United States and the European Union urged full investigations into the outcome of the elections that took place on Saturday.

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

The Central Election Commission said that the Georgian Dream Party received 54.8% of the votes after almost all the votes were counted. The party — founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, an obscure billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — has adopted laws similar to those the Kremlin uses to suppress freedom of expression and gay rights.

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Zurabishvili told The Associated Press that the protest is the only way Georgians can “express that their votes have been stolen, that their future has been stolen.”


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Georgia passes controversial “foreign agents” bill


She said she hoped the United States and the European Union would support the demonstrations.

“We need to have strong support from our European partners, and our American partners,” Zurabishvili said, adding that it was in the interest of a “strong 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 Associated Press that the matter was up to Western leaders but “certainly it is not time to renew relations with illegitimate authorities at this stage.”

US officials called on Georgia to repeal authoritarian legislation, address electoral shortcomings, and move Georgia towards Europe.

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State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Georgia’s elections were “shaped by the ruling party’s policies, including abuse of public resources, vote buying, and voter intimidation.”

He said that the United States has constantly urged the Georgian government to “roll back” its anti-democratic actions, and said, “We do not rule out further consequences.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a full investigation into all reports of election-related violations, as did European Union Commission spokeswoman Nabila Masralli, who said the Georgian Dream campaign was “directly inspired” by Russian propaganda and there were “unprecedented levels of information.” “Misleading.” “

The Kremlin rejected accusations of interference.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We do not interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs, and we have no intention of interfering.” He responded that it was the West that tried to influence the vote.

When asked about Zurabishvili’s call for Georgians to join the protests, he described it as an attempt to destabilize the country.

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

The European Union has suspended Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely due to a Russian-style “foreign influence law” passed in June. Many Georgians view Saturday’s vote as a pivotal referendum on the opportunity to join the European Union.

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The election campaign in the country of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, was characterized by a bitter battle for votes and allegations of a smear campaign. European observers said the elections took place in a “divisive” environment characterized by intimidation, instances of vote buying, double voting, and physical violence.

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

Election observers said instances of intimidation and other violations were particularly noticeable in rural areas.


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Georgia passes “foreign agents” bill: Lawmakers quarrel, protesters clash in Parliament


The Georgian Dream party received the highest percentage of votes – about 90% – in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia. In the capital, it did not receive more than 44% in any area.

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

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Preliminary figures suggest turnout was among the highest since Georgian Dream first won control of parliament in 2012. The party has pledged to continue the push for EU accession, but also wants to “reset” relations with Russia, Georgia’s former imperial power. . In 2008, Georgia fought and lost a short war with Moscow, which then recognized the independence of the two breakaway Georgian regions and strengthened its military presence there.

European Council President Charles Michel urged Georgian officials to “quickly, transparently and independently investigate” electoral irregularities, and said the Georgian Dream must demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the European Union.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was the first foreign leader to congratulate the Georgian Dream, arrived on Monday for a two-day visit to Georgia.

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

Masralli said on behalf of the European Union that Orban did not have “any mandate from the Council of the European Union” to visit Georgia.

— Associated Press journalists Sofiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed.





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