“Georgia voted for the EU” – thousands in Tbilisi protested the election results (Video, photos)

Thousands of people turned out for a pro-European protest in Georgia tonight to condemn the results of the October 26 election, which they say was marred by fraud orchestrated by the ruling Georgian Dream party. said AFP.

According to official results, the election was won by the party, which has been in power since 2012 and has been accused by its supporters of conservative and authoritarian pro-Russian tendencies and that they want to separate Georgia from the European Union and NATO, a charge he denies.

The pro-European opposition refuses to recognize the official election results. President Salome Zurabishvili said that a sophisticated fraud system based on a “Russian methodology” was used in the elections. The Kremlin has denied allegations of involvement, and the EU and US have pointed to violations and called for an investigation.

Thousands of people took part tonight in the second protest after announcing the results in front of the Georgian parliament, which is located on the main boulevard in the capital Tbilisi, BTA reported.

“Georgian people will never accept fake election results. An incredible movement of protest is growing that will sweep away the regime that stole our votes,” said Nika Melia, leader of the opposition party Akhali. He called the gathering for daily protests starting tomorrow.

Another opposition figure, Mamuka Hazaraji, leader of the Coalition for Change, has called for new elections and an international investigation into the alleged fraud.

Opposition supporters taking part in the protest told AFP that “Georgians will never accept fraudulent elections”. They accuse “Russia and its students” that they “want to steal not only the choice of the Georgians, but also the European future.

Last week, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze pledged that European integration would remain Tbilisi’s “top priority.” But some leaders of “Georgian Dream”, including its leader – the influential and wealthy Bidzina Ivanishvili, who gathered his fortune in Russia, made several anti-Western statements during the election campaign, note AFP.