Tens of thousands of Georgians massed outside parliament Monday night, demanding the annulment of the weekend parliamentary election that the president has alleged was rigged with the help of Russia.
The rally underlined tensions in the country which lies between Russia and Turkey and where the governing Georgian Dream party has become increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow.
However, it ended peacefully after several hours and there were no clear plans for further action.
“You did not lose the election,” President Salome Zourabichvili told the demonstrators who waved Georgian and European Union flags. “They stole your vote and tried to steal your future, but no one has the right to do that and you will not let anyone do that!”
Zourabichvili, a mostly ceremonial president, told the crowd that she would defend the country’s path toward Europe against actions by the Georgian Dream.
Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the Unity National Movement coalition, said the opposition won’t take part in any talks with the government and will push for a new vote under international supervision.
Protester Natia Chachava, wrapped in the Georgian flag, said the demonstrators “don’t want Russia, we don’t want to go back to Russia or back to the Soviet Union.”
The Central Election Commission said Georgian Dream received 54.8% of the vote with almost all ballots counted. The party — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — has adopted laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
The U.S. and the European Union urged full investigations of the result of Saturday’s election.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Georgian elections were “shaped by the ruling party’s policies, including misuse of public resources, vote buying, and voter intimidation.”
