Protest in Georgia – opposition calls for a repeat election

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Lerato Khumalo

Tens of thousands of people take to the streets in Tbilisi. They assume that the pro-European camp in Georgia has been deprived of its election victory.

At a demonstration after the parliamentary election in Georgia, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, the pro-European opposition called for a repeat election under international supervision. Tens of thousands of people gathered on Rustaveli Prospect in the center of the capital Tbilisi to protest against the officially declared election victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“I want to tell you that it was not you who lost the election. Your vote was stolen and they tried to steal your future,” said pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili, who is close to the opposition. “But no one has the right to do that, and you won’t let anyone do that.”

Zurabishvili had previously viewed the many irregularities in the election in the small South Caucasus republic as clearly Russian intervention. The Kremlin rejected Russian interference in the election in the neighboring country. Georgian Dream also explains that the election victory came about correctly.

The electoral commission had awarded the national conservative ruling party Georgian Dream an absolute majority. The opposition and Zurabishvili do not recognize the result. Those opposed to the government fear that the leadership will move further away from the hoped-for EU accession.