Georgia opposition plans to protest ruling party’s declared election victory

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Opposition supporters in Georgia planned to hold a protest in the country’s capital on Monday against the official results of a weekend parliamentary election in which the ruling party was declared victorious amid irregularities. in the vote and accusations of Russian meddling.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Sunday that she did not recognize the official results and that the country had been the victim of a “Russian special operation” aimed at returning it to Moscow’s orbit and derailing its plan to join the European Union.

Zourabichvili, a fierce critic of the ruling party, urged Georgians to demonstrate on the main street of the capital, Tbilisi, on Monday night to protest what she called a “total falsification, a total theft of their votes,” which which raises the possibility of more political unrest in the South Caucasus nation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on social media platform fundamental freedoms, address shortcomings in the electoral process and lead Georgia towards its Euro-Atlantic future.”

The Central Election Commission said Sunday that the ruling Georgian Dream party received 54.8% of Saturday’s votes with almost all ballots counted. The party, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, an obscure billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to stifle free speech.

The EU indefinitely suspended Georgia’s membership application process due to a Russian-style “foreign influence law” passed in June. Many Georgians saw Saturday’s vote as a crucial referendum on the opportunity to join the EU.

The election campaign in this nation of 3.7 million people, bordering Russia, was marked by a bitter fight for votes and accusations of a smear campaign. European election observers said the election took place in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by intimidation and cases of vote buying, double voting and physical violence.

During the campaign, Georgian Dream used “anti-Western and hostile rhetoric…promoted Russian disinformation, manipulations and conspiracy theories,” said Antonio López-Istúriz White, head of the European Parliament’s monitoring delegation.

Election observers said cases of electoral intimidation and violations were particularly notable in rural areas.

Georgian Dream received its highest percentage of votes (almost 90%) in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia. In the capital he did not receive more than 44% in any district.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a member of Georgian Dream, on Sunday described his party’s success as “impressive and obvious” and that “any attempt to talk about electoral manipulation… is doomed to failure.”

Initial figures suggested voter turnout was the highest since Georgian Dream was first elected in 2012. The party has vowed to continue the push towards EU membership, but also to “reestablish” ties with the former imperial master from Georgia, Russia. In 2008, Georgia fought and lost a brief war with Russia, which later recognized the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions and strengthened its military presence there.

European Council President Charles Michel called on Georgian officials to “promptly, transparently and independently investigate” election irregularities and urged the ruling party to demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the EU.

Hungary’s Victor Orbán was the first foreign leader to congratulate Georgian Dream and will be the first to visit Georgia and meet the prime minister during a trip to Tbilisi on Monday and Tuesday.

Associated Press journalist Sophiko Megrelidze contributed to this report.