Georgia's incumbent and former presidents reject election results, call for mass protests in Tbilisi

President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has declared the recent parliamentary elections, won by the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party, to be entirely fraudulent.

Speaking at a press briefing, Zourabichvili asserted, "I wish to state here today, as the only remaining independent institution in this country, that I do not recognise these elections," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“We have witnessed something highly unusual. This was total falsification, a wholesale theft of your votes, using every means we have seen in this or other countries to manipulate the election outcome,” she remarked.

Zourabichvili has called on citizens to protest against the parliamentary election results, urging them to gather at Tbilisi’s parliament building on October 28 evening.

“I invite all of you to join me tomorrow [October 28] evening at seven o’clock on Rustaveli Avenue so we can declare to the world and ourselves that we do not accept these results,” she said, adding that the demonstration would be peaceful.

Meanwhile, in a related statement, former President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, appealed to opposition forces to boycott the election results and organise mass protests. 

Writing on his Facebook page, he asserted, “Of course, no one should enter parliament! This is no time to lament our deception. Now is the time for mass protests. We must show the world that we are fighting for freedom and that we are people who will not tolerate injustice. We cannot waste another moment!”

Notably, the streets of Tbilisi resonated with frustration on October 26 following the Central Election Commission’s announcement that the ruling Georgian Dream party had emerged victorious in parliamentary election, a result the opposition has contested.

With nearly all precincts reporting, Georgian Dream secured 54.8% of the vote, further consolidating its power in a country deeply divided over whether to pursue closer ties with the West or strengthen relations with Russia. Opposition leaders contend that the election was manipulated, claiming it failed to fairly represent public sentiment.

Early counts reflected the opposition's uphill battle, with the Coalition for Changes at 10.8%, Unity-National Movement at 10%, Strong Georgia at 8.7%, and Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party at 7.7%. Although both sides initially claimed victory based on exit polls, the official results soon swung in favour of Georgian Dream, granting the party its fourth consecutive term with a stronger mandate than in the previous election.

By Aghakazim Guliyev