Tbilisi, 28 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Tens of thousands protested on Monday evening in the Georgian capital Tbilisi against the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the parliamentary election, amid calls from the opposition for a re-run under international supervision.

The pro-Western president of the country, Salome Zourabichvili, addressed the protesters, as people waved European and Georgian flags in front of parliament.

"Your vote has been stolen and they have tried to steal your future," she said.

Despite ample evidence of irregularities, Georgia's electoral commission declared the incumbent conservative nationalist Georgian Dream party the winner of Saturday's election with a vote share of about 54%, according to preliminary figures.

The pro-European opposition alliances received 11% or less of the vote.

Zourabichvili said she would not recognize the results of Saturday's vote, saying it was completely falsified. She told dpa that the many irregularities were due to Russian interference.

Zourabichvili described a thoroughly planned, sophisticated and comprehensive fraud. 

"We have never seen anything like this in this country," she said, adding that "it was adapted for every location, every region."

The four largest opposition groups have declared that they will relinquish their parliamentary mandates and are calling for a re-run of the election.

The former Soviet republic on Russia's southern border is a candidate for EU membership. However, Brussels has put accession talks on hold because of several repressive laws that the Georgian Dream has pushed through this year.

The dominant figure in the conservative nationalist Georgian Dream party is billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Moscow, and favours reconciliation with Russia and cooperation with China.

Georgian Dream criticizes accusations of fraud

The secretary general of the Georgian Dream party, Kakha Kaladze, called Zourabichvili's insinuations disgraceful, while the party's parliamentary speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, accused the president of trying to divide the country.

Zourabichvili responded that Papuashvili was trying to play on people's emotions and spread disinformation.

Papuashvili said Georgian Dream could form a legitimate parliament without the opposition, with 89 of the 150 seats.

Russia denies interference

The Kremlin has denied that Russia interfered in the election, saying that European states were the ones to have put pressure on Georgia.

"Many forces from European states and European institutions have tried to influence the outcome of the vote," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

Western states call for clarification of irregularities

Georgian and international observers noted numerous irregularities during the election on Saturday.

They recorded vote buying, pressure on voters, the mass dropping of voting slips into ballot boxes and the abuse of state influence in favour of the government.

The observers said however that there was a wide choice between the 18 parties on the ballot.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Georgia's political leaders must "address deficiencies in the electoral process" in a post on X.

European Council President Charles Michel also called on the electoral commission and relevant authorities to "swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof" in a post on X.

Michel said he would put Georgia on the agenda of the informal EU summit in Budapest scheduled for November 8.

The foreign policy spokesman of Germany's conservative Christian Democrats, Jürgen Hardt, has called for the vote to be repeated.

"A repeat election is urgently needed and is a condition for further cooperation with Georgia," Hardt told dpa.

"The international community must strengthen the position of President Salome Zourabichvili until the Georgian electorate is finally allowed to cast their votes freely and these are counted in a comprehensible manner," he said.

Zourabichvili had previously said Western states' support would be needed to repeat the election.

Orbán visits Tbilisi

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived in Tbilisi. He is to be officially received by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday, the Georgian government said.

The Hungarian prime minister, who is ideologically close to Georgian Dream, had congratulated the party after Saturday's vote even before reliable results were available.

Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Council. The German ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, wrote on X on Monday that when Orbán visits Tbilisi, he is speaking "for the Hungarian government, NOT on behalf of the European Union."

Georgian prime minister reaffirms EU course

The Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream had on Monday tried to ease the tense political situation in the country by reassuring voters that the country remained committed to the European Union.

Georgia wants to fully integrate into the European Union by 2030, he said at a government meeting in Tbilisi.

The prime minister was quoted in the Georgian media as saying that he expects a fresh start in the difficult relationship with the EU in the coming year.

Photo: EPA