TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Demonstrators in Georgia’s capital set up tents on a central boulevard and vowed to continue their movement around the clock Monday. request New parliamentary elections in this country.
of October 26th election It kept the ruling Georgian Dream party in power, but opponents say the vote was rigged with Russian support. Many Georgians saw the election as a referendum on the country’s commitment to joining the European Union. Since then, several large protests have taken place.
President Salome Zurabichvili, who rejected the official results, declared on Monday that she would appeal the results to the Constitutional Court. Zurabichvili, who holds an almost ceremonial position, said Georgia was a victim of Russian government pressure to join the EU.
Critics have accused Georgia Dream, founded by shadowy Russian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently passed legislation similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
On Sunday, demonstrators blocked streets leading into the center of Tbilisi. Nika Melia, head of the opposition Coalition for Change, expressed hope that the round-the-clock protests would be “the beginning of a violent and powerful protest movement that will end with the fall of Ivanishvili’s government.” .
In June, the EU changed Georgia’s membership application process after Georgia’s parliament passed a law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “promoting interests of foreign powers.” Suspended indefinitely. This was similar to Russian law in the past. Discredit organizations critical of the government.
According to the Central Election Commission, Georgian Dream won about 54% of the votes in the October vote. Its leaders rejected opposition claims of vote fraud. European election observers said the election was held in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by bribery, double voting and physical violence.
