The President of Georgia does not know the election result, calls for protests

2024-10-28 08:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The pro-Western president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, has said that she will not recognize the result of the October 26 parliamentary elections, and has suggested that the country has been the victim of a "Russian special operation".

Zurabishvili did not provide any evidence to support her claims before the media on October 27.

"As the only independent institution left in this country, I want to say that I do not recognize these elections. They should not be known. It would be the same as accepting Russia's entry here," she said.

"I did not come to Georgia for [Russian domination]. Our ancestors did not live for this. We will not tolerate it. The European future cannot be taken from Georgia", she added.

She has called for street protests on October 28, from 19:00.

The South Caucasus state has held mass protests in recent months against the ruling Georgian Dream party, which critics accuse of being pro-Russian and eroding democratic norms.

The president criticized what she called "Russian special operation - one of the new forms of hybrid war, carried out against our people, our country".

Georgian Dream celebrated what it considered a victory in the election, but the pro-Western opposition, as well as election observers, said major violations had been committed, including voter intimidation and physical violence.

Western observers have called for investigations into the alleged irregularities. After counting more than 99.6 percent of the votes, the Central Election Commission has said that the Georgian Dream won 54.8 percent of the votes.

However, the opposition has presented completely different figures for the ruling party, led by the billionaire, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Almost all opposition parties have refused to accept the election result. This process is considered an important test for Georgia, a candidate state for EU membership.

Brussels has said that the outcome of these elections could determine Georgia's chances of joining the European bloc.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – an ally of the Georgian Dream leadership – is expected to visit Tbilisi on October 28-28.

Orban, the first foreign official to congratulate Georgian Dream on victory - even before the official results are announced - is expected to hold a media conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze after the meetings.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said that "although international and local observers have agreed that election day was well administered, we have observed reports of irregularities and sporadic violence".

He said that "international observers have not declared that the result is free or fair".

"We condemn all violations of international norms and join the calls of international and local observers for a full investigation of all reports of violations related to the electoral process."

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that suspected irregularities in the electoral process "must be addressed seriously"./ Rel