The Georgian opposition has demanded repeat parliamentary elections under the supervision of an international administration. According to Echo of the Caucasus, one of the leaders of the Unity – National Movement party, Giorgi Vashadze, said at a rally that the opposition refuses to recognise the election results and does not plan to work in the newly elected parliament or negotiate with the ruling Georgian Dream party.
‘The only negotiations and agreements should concern the re-run of the elections,’ Vashadze said.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili also spoke at the rally, saying that the votes had been ‘stolen’ and urged citizens not to allow anyone to deprive them of their future.
As a reminder, on 26 October, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia, where the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party and pro-European opposition forces competed for power. During the vote count, Zurabishvili expressed confidence in the opposition’s victory, but according to the CEC, Georgian Dream won more than 54% of the vote.
International observers reported serious election irregularities, and all four main opposition parties announced a boycott of the newly elected parliament. The opposition called for mass protests, which have already begun in the evening in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, amid the Georgian Dream’s victory.
