Thousands of Georgians take to the streets against the results of the parliamentary elections

In the Georgian capital Tbilisi, thousands of people protested at the parliament against the results of the parliamentary elections. Most of the demonstrators are now gone.

The demonstrators had gathered because, according to them, the ruling Georgian Dream party, which is pro-Russian, had been declared the winner through fraud.

The pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili and the opposition had called to present them. According to the independent president, the country is suffering from a “specific Russian action”.

The opposition wants new elections supervised by international election observers. In a statement, they told their supporters that “you and we are declaring this election illegitimate.” The result will be contested and “we will win together,” he said.

“We are not going to negotiate, we are not going to communicate. The only thing that should be in negotiation and agreement is new elections,” said the opposition in the statement .

Thousands of Georgians answered the call to protest:

This weekend, Zurabishvili supported the opposition parties, who previously announced that they would not accept the election results. Shortly after the polls closed, several exit polls were published.

Pro-government channels then showed victory for the ruling Georgian Dream party, while other exit polls tipped the election victory to the opposition parties. The Electoral Commission finally reported that Georgian Dream had won the election with almost 55 percent of the votes.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that this was the case fear and putting pressure on voters. There were several fights at polling stations. Polling station workers were also scared. In some cases, according to local media, violence was used against journalists.

Georgia was granted the status of a candidate country for the European Union at the end of last year. Since then, the government has adopted several laws based on the Russian model, such as the so-called law of foreign agents and the anti-LGBTI propaganda law. The European Parliament calls this course anti-democratic. The EU therefore suspended accession negotiations.

From Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán in Tbilisi for an official visit. He is one of the few heads of government who immediately congratulated Georgian Dream for its victory.

Today, European Ministers or European Foreign Affairs expressed their concerns about the situation in Georgia. They highlighted the abuses reported by observers about the elections.

The ministers, including the Dutch minister Veldkamp, said share the viewers’ concerns. They demanded an impartial investigation.

“The breach of electoral integrity is incompatible with the standards expected of a candidate for the European Union. They are a betrayal of the legitimate European intentions of the people of Georgia,” she said.

The ministers said that free and fair elections are “an essential part” of the steps Georgia needs to take to join the EU. Orbán was also criticized. “We criticize Prime Minister Orbán’s premature visit to Georgia. He does not speak on behalf of the EU,” the ministers emphasized.