Georgia's president called for protests on Monday after disputed parliamentary elections, and the United States and the European Union called for a full investigation into reports of vote tampering.
President Salome Zurabichvili called on people to take to the streets and protest against the results of the vote, in which the ruling party won, according to a statement from the election commission.
In a speech on Sunday, she called the result a "Russian special operation." She did not clarify what she meant by that term.
Georgian Dream, which is now in the lead with its fourth term in power, will take 89 seats in the parliament, one less than it secured in 2020, the commission announced, and four pro-Western opposition parties won a total of 61 seats, Voice of America writes.
"It was a complete fraud, a complete deprivation of your votes," Zurabichvili told reporters, accompanied by the leaders of the Georgian opposition parties.
Zurabichvili called on Georgians to protest in the center of the capital Tbilisi on Monday evening to "announce to the world that we do not recognize these elections."
Moving away from the EU
The victory of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" on parliamentary elections u Georgia, is an indication of the country's distance from the European Union.
Although the sun was shining in Tbilisi on Sunday, the day after the election, dark clouds hung over the pro-Western Georgian opposition. The day before, right after the polls closed, she celebrated her victory. But too soon, as it later turned out, writes Deutsche Welle (DW).
Saturday evening, October 26, half past seven. Polling stations close in an hour and a half, and the ruling Georgian Dream party is already celebrating its victory at a rally in front of the party's headquarters in Tbilisi.
On the huge monitors on the stage, there is a projection of the results of the "Gorbi" institute, which is connected to the government: 56,1 percent. Party leaders pretend to have forgotten about their own plans - to win a majority of 75 percent, sufficient for constitutional changes.
Fireworks light up the sky of Tbilisi. A parade of cars and motorcycles with Georgian flags circles Freedom Square in the center of the city.
And that means that the celebration of the ruling party was already over at that moment. When the Election Commission announced the first results around 21:30 p.m., some journalists returned to the "Georgian Dream" party headquarters. They were greeted only by an empty stage.
Not without reason: the result is not as great as the projections predicted. According to the official data of the Election Commission, "Georgian Dream" won 54 percent of the votes.
There is no chance for pro-Western parties
A total of 18 parties were on the ballot, including the former ruling United National Movement (UNM) party of former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
It and three other parties that stand for more democracy and European integration received 37,6 percent of the vote. The government has already threatened to ban them - but now it does not have the necessary majority of 113 MPs.
Shortly after midnight, UNM President Tinatin Bokuchava declared that she does not recognize the results of the election, explaining that the Election Commission was carrying out the "dirty orders" of the ruling party and that it "stole the victory of the Georgian people".
Other opposition parties agreed with that assessment. They refuse to participate in the work of the new convocation of the parliament and announce protests.
A clear distinction between the city and the province
The Electoral Commission's press conference showed that most people in rural areas support the ruling party, while those in the capital are more inclined to vote for the opposition.
Voter turnout was the highest since 2012, when the government last changed. This time around 59 percent of the 3,7 million voters with the right to vote went to the polls.
At four of the five polling stations in central Tbilisi that DW visited, there were lines of 10 to 15 people around lunchtime. Upon entry, ID cards were checked, and before receiving the ballot, voters were sprayed with spray on their fingers. This was to prevent someone from voting more than once.
The biggest attempt to falsify the election was discovered at a polling station in the town of Marneuli near Tbilisi. There they tried to insert a whole bundle of ballots into the ballot box.
The incident was recorded, and the video posted on social networks caused a stir. The opposition claims that its representatives and observers were beaten with batons by pro-government activists. In the end, Saturday night and Sunday all day were surprisingly quiet.
Tired opposition?
Although there are many disillusioned voters in the capital, it will now be difficult for the opposition to mobilize them for protests - unlike the mass protests in the spring, when the adoption of the disputed law was supposed to be prevented, according to political scientist Renata Skarzhute-Kereselidze from the think tank Georgian Institute of Politics in Tbilisi.
For many Georgians, it was important to continue living in peace. That is why many voted for the ruling party, Skardzhute-Kereselidze points out.
The main role in this was probably played by the war in Ukraine. People on the streets of Tbilisi with whom the DW reporter spoke confirm this.
"With the victory of the ruling party, everything remains good." The most important thing is that there is peace in our country," said one man. "I am satisfied with the government and the elections," confirms one pensioner.
During the election campaign, the ruling party "Georgian Dream" emphasized its connection with Russia, promised peace and stability and spread the fear of war with Russia in case the opposition wins.
"The elections were a fairly controlled process in which many fundamental rights violations were observed," Skarjute-Kereselidze tells DW.
She does not believe that the ruling party will become more democratic in the next four years. On the contrary, he says, it will put more pressure on independent, critical thinking people. There is no prospect of the sun rising for the liberal opposition in Georgia.
Source: Deutsche Welle