US calls for investigation after Georgia's president blames election outcome on 'Russian special operation'
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has rejected the result of national elections, saying there was a "Russian special operation".
In short:
National elections in the South Caucasus country of Georgia have resulted in ruling party Georgia Dream remaining in power with a parliamentary majority.
The president Salome Zourabichvil called for Georgians to protest on the streets after a disputed campaign with allegations of electoral fraud.
What's next?
The US has called for an investigation into the claims of electoral fraud.
The US has called for Georgia to hold an investigation into claims of electoral fraud after significant violations were reported by observers during voting in the South Caucasus country.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he encouraged Georgia's government to "respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together".
The president of Georgia said the outcome of national polls were the result of a "Russian special operation".
Salome Zourabichvili called on Sunday for people to take to the streets to protest the results of Saturday's disputed parliamentary election, which the electoral commission said the ruling party had won.
The incumbent Georgian Dream party clinched nearly 54 per cent of the vote, the commission said, as opposition parties contested the result.
European electoral observers said the election took place in a "divisive" environment marked by intimidation and instances of vote buying, double voting and physical violence.
Ms Zourabichvili, a former Georgian Dream ally-turned-fierce critic of the ruling party, said she did not recognise the results and referred to a "Russian special operation".
She did not clarify whether she believed Russia had a direct role in the elections.
"It was a total fraud, a total taking away of your votes," Ms Zourabichvili told reporters, flanked by Georgian opposition party leaders.
The president called on Georgians to protest in the centre of the capital, Tbilisi, on Monday evening "to announce to the world that we do not recognise these elections".
The results, with almost all precincts counted, were a blow for pro-Western Georgians who had cast the election as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition aiming to fast-track integration with Europe.
Georgian Dream, now headed for a fourth term in office, will take 89 seats in parliament, one less than it secured in 2020, the commission said, with four pro-Western opposition parties receiving 61 seats in total.
In the capital Tbilisi, 32-year-old local Tiko Gelashvili said, "The results that were published are just lies and rigged."
'Deep concerns'
A series of violations were reported on Sunday by three separate monitoring missions, including the 57-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The groups said the alleged violations, including claims of ballot-stuffing, bribery, voter intimidation and violence near polling stations, could have affected the result but stopped short of calling the outcome fraudulent.
The election observers said instances of intimidation and electoral violations were particularly noticeable in rural areas.
Polling was marred by vote stuffing, intimidation and violence near voting stations, observers said.
The EU called on Georgia to swiftly investigate alleged irregularities in the elections.
"We continue to express deep concerns about the democratic backsliding in Georgia," said Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White, head of the European Parliament's delegation to the OSCE mission.
"The conduct of yesterday's election is unfortunately evidence to that effect," he told reporters.
The electoral commission did not respond immediately to requests for comment, but on Saturday hailed a free and fair election.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who is a member of Georgian Dream, on Sunday described his party's victory as "impressive and obvious", and said "any attempts to talk about election manipulation … are doomed to failure".
Georgia's four pro-Western opposition parties said they did not recognise the results, and some members pledged to boycott the new parliament and called for supporters to take to the streets.
Coalition for Change opposition party leader Nika Gvaramia called the vote "a constitutional coup" and a "usurpation of power".
His party cited two exit polls that showed the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament.
The leader of the United National Movement opposition party, Tina Bokuchava, said the election had been "stolen", calling for protests.
Complex relationship with Russia
Georgian Dream's reclusive billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, who campaigned heavily on keeping Georgia out of the war in Ukraine, hailed the party's victory on Saturday night after its strongest performance since 2012.
Supporters of the Georgian Dream party celebrated after exit polls were announced in Tbilisi.
Electoral commission data showed it winning by huge margins of up to 90 per cent in some rural areas, though it underperformed in bigger cities.
Georgian Dream says it wants Georgia to join the EU, though Brussels says the Caucasus country's membership application is frozen over what it says are the party's authoritarian tendencies.
It has pushed through a law on "foreign agents" and another curbing LGBTQI+ rights, both of which drew strong criticism from Western countries but were praised by some Russian officials.
Georgians have a complex relationship with Russia, which ruled it from Moscow until Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Russia and Georgia fought a short war in 2008, and Moscow still occupies portions of the country in two contested regions.
Reuters/AP
By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-28/georgia-elections-president-says-russian-special-operations/104524966(责任编辑：admin)
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