Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has denounced Saturday’s parliamentary elections as a “Russian operation” and called for mass protests, declaring that the vote took place under conditions of total falsification and amounted to the confiscation of voters’ voices.
The Georgian government has been distancing itself from the EU and slowing its European integration process, particularly after adopting a Russian-style “foreign agents” law that limits organizations with foreign funding and demonstrating an increasingly submissive attitude toward Russia by its statements regarding Russian-Ukrainian war.
“All methods that we have seen in various countries were used. Moreover, today’s technologies were used to whitewash the falsification. This has never happened before. We have become witnesses and victims of a Russian special operation, a hybrid war that was waged against our people, against our country,” Zurabishvili stated, according to Echo of the Caucasus cited by European Pravda.
The president’s strong stance comes as international observers documented significant violations in the election process. A joint observation mission of 529 observers from 42 countries reported widespread voter intimidation, pressure on civil society, and an uneven playing field.
PACE delegation head Iulian Bulai specifically highlighted “high polarisation of the political and media landscape, hate speech against the opposition and civil society, and antagonism towards the office of the President,” along with widespread cases of vote-buying and party-organized intimidation, particularly in rural areas.
According to preliminary results, the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party received 54.273% of the votes, significantly exceeding pre-election polling projections of 35%. The combined pro-European opposition parties, which were expected to secure a parliamentary majority, have refused to recognize the results, citing numerous violations and falsifications.
“We continue to express deep concerns about the democratic backsliding in Georgia. The conduct of yesterday’s election is, unfortunately, evidence to that effect,” stated Antonio López-Istúriz White, Head of the European Parliament delegation.
Despite the controversy and calls for protest, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has announced that parliament will convene as scheduled and the government will be approved, regardless of the opposition’s refusal to recognize the election results.
Related:
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- Investigative journalist Christo Grozev: Kremlin plans to interfere in Georgia’s elections
- International observers: Georgian elections marred by pressure and intimidation
