Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Sunday evening she did not recognize the results of Saturday’s parliamentary elections due to what she said was large-scale fraud.
Pro-Western President Zourabichvili called for street protests against the results on Monday. According to a preliminary count by the election commission, the governing Georgian Dream party won Saturday’s election, with just over 53%.
The opposition is split into several blocs, with the most popular, the Coalition for Change, winning 11%, according to the commission.
Georgian and international election observers have however identified many irregularities, including voter intimidation, pressure on authorities, violence against observers, vote-buying, multiple voting and ballot stuffing.
Observers reported a wide range of violations in Georgia’s parliamentary elections after the ruling conservative nationalist party was declared the winner on Sunday. The poll, which could see the country pivot away from its previous orientation towards the EU, has been carefully watched both inside and outside the country.
Observers from several Georgian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) decried significant electoral violations, with the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) on Sunday reporting numerous instances of individuals casting multiple votes.
The GYLA also stated that election observers had been obstructed in their work. The association demanded that the election commission provide clarity on these issues.
Other NGOs asserted that the results did not reflect the will of the voters. The pro-European opposition, which participated in various coalitions, did not recognize the preliminary results.
The election commission had earlier declared the ruling party Georgian Dream led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili the winner with an absolute majority after counting almost all the votes. International election observers also expressed concern about numerous irregularities following the parliamentary election in Georgia.
There had been instances of voter intimidation, pressure on authorities, violence against observers, vote-buying, multiple voting and ballot stuffing, the mission from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported in the capital, Tbilisi.
They called for an investigation into these incidents and urged further democratic reforms.
At the same time, mission chief Pascal Allizard praised the democratic vitality of the South Caucasus republic, despite certain setbacks. There were a total of 18 options on the ballot papers, he noted. The Frenchman stated that the election was, overall, well organized.
Other observers also highlighted the strong presence of civil society, ensuring the oversight of voting and vote counting.
The OSCE observers expressed concern about the new authoritarian laws in the country, criticized by the European Union and the United States, and the overall polarized situation. (DPA)