Georgia's Pro-EU Opposition Says Country Must Protest Over 'Rigged' Election Result

Georgia's pro-Western opposition has called on the country to protest today against the disputed parliamentary victory of the ruling, Russia-aligned Georgian Dream party (GD).

- Pjotr Sauer

GD retained power in Saturday's pivotal election that dealt a significant blow to the country's long-held aspirations for EU membership, amid allegations of voter intimidation and coercion.

But the country's pro-western opposition swiftly refused to concede defeat, accusing the ruling party of a "constitutional coup," setting the stage for a potential political crisis that could further polarise the Caucasus country.

At a press conference organised by the opposition yesterday evening, the country's pro-European president, Salome Zourabichvili, declared that she did not recognise the election results, asserting that Georgia had fallen victim to a "Russian special operation".

Zourabichvili, whose role is largely ceremonial, called on Georgians to protest against the results this evening. "This was a total rigging, a total robbery of your votes," Zourabichvili said.

The electoral commission yesterday announced that the ruling GD party secured 54% of the vote, winning 89 seats in parliament - one fewer than in 2020. Four pro-Western opposition parties collectively gained a total of 61 seats.

The result thwarts the opposition's hopes for a pro-western coalition of four blocs and in effect stalls the country's aspirations for EU integration.

Voters in the country of almost 4 million people headed to the polls in a watershed election to decide whether the increasingly authoritarian GD party, which has been in power since 2012 and steered the country into a conservative course away from the west and closer to Russia, should get another four-year term.