The Georgian opposition called for protests on Monday and the European Union demanded an investigation into “irregularities” after a disputed legislative vote that showed a victory for the ruling party accused of moving toward Russia’s orbit.
Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili on Sunday accused Moscow of electoral fraud and described it as a “Russian special operation.”
Amid claims the opposition is angry at the result, Zurabishvili called for a rally on Monday. Jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili also called for mass protests.
The EU had warned that Saturday’s vote, seen as a key test of democracy in the Caucasus country, could determine Tbilisi’s chances of joining the bloc.
EU Council President Charles Michel wrote on social media that Georgian authorities should “investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations swiftly, transparently and independently.”
“These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed,” he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said he supported calls for an investigation into “election-related violations”, citing reports from international and local observers of “vote buying and voter intimidation”.
After a meeting with opposition leaders in Tbilisi, Zurabishvili said that “the elections were completely fraudulent”.
“We are witnesses and victims of Russian special operations, a modern form of hybrid warfare against the Georgian people,” he said.
International observers said Saturday’s election was “an uneven playing field, marred by pressure and tension”.
An EU Parliament mission also expressed concern about “democratic backlash”, saying it had observed examples of “ballot box stuffing” and “physical attacks” of observers.
‘Fighting for freedom’
Saakashvili, who led the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, said on Facebook that opposition lawmakers should give up their parliamentary seats.
He said, “Now is the time for massive protests. We have to show the world that we are fighting for freedom and we are a people who will not tolerate injustice.”
Official data from more than 99 percent of the precincts showed the ruling Georgian Dream party received 54 percent of the vote, while the main pro-West opposition coalition received 37.5 percent.
The result gives Georgian Dream 91 seats in the 150-member parliament – enough to govern but it has sought a supermajority to pass a constitutional ban on all main opposition parties.
“Our victory is impressive,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a statement. He accused the opposition of “undermining the constitutional order of the country” by questioning his party’s victory.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of the ruling party and current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, will visit Georgia on Monday and Tuesday, the government said.
Orban rushed to congratulate Georgian Dream on its “overwhelming victory” after an exit poll on Saturday showed the government in the lead and before preliminary results were published.
Another exit poll by American pollster Edison Research had projected the opposition’s victory by a margin of 11 percent.
EU’s hopes ‘bleak’
Opposition parties lined up to condemn the vote.
“This is an attempt to steal Georgia’s future,” said Tina Bokuchaeva, leader of Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM).
Nika Guarmiya, leader of the liberal Akali Party, called the manner of voting a “constitutional coup” by the government.
Georgian Strategic Analysis Center analyst Gela Vasadze said the country was plunging “indefinitely into political instability” and that its EU hopes had “dimmed”.
However, he said the opposition “lacks charismatic leaders who can transform popular anger into a protest wave capable of bringing about political change.”
‘Global War Party’
Georgia was hit this year by mass demonstrations over what the opposition sees as efforts by the government to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of four million away from its pro-West path toward Russia Was.
In power since 2012, Georgian Dream initially adopted a liberal pro-West policy agenda.
But its trend has reversed in the last two years.
Its campaign focuses on a conspiracy theory about a “global war party” that controls Western institutions and is trying to draw Georgia into the Russia–Ukraine war.
In a country scarred by Russia’s 2008 invasion, the party has offered voters imaginary stories about the imminent threat of war that only the Georgian Dream can prevent.
Georgian Dream’s controversial “foreign influence” law, which targeted civil society, sparked weeks of street protests and was criticized as a Kremlin-style measure to silence dissent.
The move prompted Brussels to halt Georgia’s EU accession process, while Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.
In a campaign against sexual minorities, the ruling party has adopted measures that ban LGBTQ “propaganda”, outlaw same-sex marriages conducted abroad, and outlaw gender reassignment.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)