Opposition parties marching to parliament building in Georgia for rally

A rally organised by opposition parties is being held in Tbilisi on November 4 evening in front of the Georgian parliament.

These parties do not recognise the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 26, as presented by the Georgian Central Election Commission, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Three opposition groups, namely, "Unity - National Movement", "Coalition for Change" and "Strong Georgia", are currently marching from the Railway Station Square toward Rustaveli Avenue, accompanied by their supporters.

Opposition leaders have stated in interviews with journalists that they are calling for new parliamentary elections. The protest will continue until new elections are announced, one of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change" Nikanor Melia told reporters on November 4.

"A continuous, permanent protest has begun. This will last until new elections are held," Melia said. The rally participants are carrying flags of the EU and Georgia.

The parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 26. According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia" party received 53.93 per cent of the votes, winning the right to form the government independently.

Four opposition parties surpassed the five per cent threshold: "Coalition for Change" with 11 per cent, "United National Movement" with 10.16 per cent, "Strong Georgia" with 8.8 per cent and "Gakharia for Georgia" with 7.76 per cent. All opposition parties that entered Parliament have refused to recognise the election results, deeming them to be fraudulent. Georgian incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili has also rejected the election outcomes.

President Zourabichvili said that the data from the Central Election Commission has been manipulated, and the opposition actually received more votes in total than "Georgian Dream" party thereby securing a majority in the Parliament.

By Naila Huseynova