Georgian leader: Acknowledging October election results means "entering Russia"

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has asserted that parliamentarians who acknowledge the results of the recent October elections will essentially be “entering Russia.” 

In an interview with TV host Giorgi Gabunia, she emphasized, “Whoever enters the parliament today will enter Russia,” reflecting her strong stance on the legitimacy of the election process, Caliber.Az reports citing Georgian media.

Zourabichvili criticized the opposition for lacking a sense of having “stolen elections” after the 2020 parliamentary elections, suggesting that this absence of outrage has contributed to significant shifts in Georgia’s political landscape over the past four years.

However, in a discussion with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Zourabichvili stated that she possesses no evidence of Russian interference in the recent parliamentary elections. Duda relayed this information on Polish radio stating, “She did not say it clearly, there is no proof of that,” when questioned about potential interference from Moscow.

On November 19, Zourabichvili filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court regarding irregularities in the October 26 parliamentary elections. 

In response to the election results, which saw the ruling Georgian Dream party win with 54.3% of the vote, the Georgian Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into alleged electoral fraud. Notably, the President was summoned for questioning as part of this inquiry.

The elections have faced significant backlash, with several opposition parties rejecting the results, and members of the “Coalition for Change” even declining parliamentary mandates in protest.

Adding to the controversy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the accusations of interference, labelling them as groundless. During a recent briefing, she argued that such claims were part of a Western strategy to destabilize Georgia and install candidates favourable to Western interests. Zakharova stated, “When Western countries talk about Russian interference, it is a situation where a guilty mind is never at ease; they are trying to cover up their own crimes.”

By Tamilla Hasanova