Georgia will approve the government, despite the fact that the opposition does not recognize the election results.
In response to opponents’ theses about “stolen elections,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that they “did not have the dignity to accept another defeat.”
The victory of the Georgian Dream in the elections was recognized by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the head of the Hungarian government Viktor Orban.
Exit polls of opposition channels noted that the opposition received more votes (52%) than the pro-government Georgian Dream (40.9%). Official data from the Central Election Commission indicate that the ruling party has 54.08% of the votes, and the opposition has a total of 37.58%.
All four Georgian opposition parties do not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections.
We must turn to reasonable forms of protests that will be aimed at protecting the choice of citizens and the European future,” said the leader of the Khukhari for Georgia party.
Another oppositionist, Mamuka Khazaradze, believes that “Georgia is being prepared for Russia, but this will not happen.”
The Coalition for Change refuses parliamentary mandates. Nana Malashkhia, who headed the association’s electoral list, announced this live.
The elections are rigged, the results are illegitimate. We are not going to legitimize the stolen votes of the Georgian people. We are giving up our parliamentary mandates,” Malashia said.
“The results do not represent the success of the Georgian people,” articles by Georgi Gakhary, leader of the entire Georgia party.
Moreover, all four groups of positions that went through trading, taking up to the CEC, were recently publicized in the deafening of public sentiment and the weakening of that…
– Anna Gvarishvili (@AnnaGvarishvili) October 27, 2024
Signatories of the Charter, pro-European opposition coalitions and parties report that these elections do not reflect the freedom of the Georgian people.
Nika Gvaramia, coalition “For Change” (gained 10.92% of votes):
The election was stolen. This is a usurpation of power.
Giorgi Gakharia, “Khukhari for Georgia” party (gained 7.76% of the votes):
Ivanishvili violated the freedom of the people
Mamuka Khazaradze, Strong Georgia coalition (received 8.78% of votes):
Bidzina conducted a KGB special operation. The elections are completely rigged!
Tina Bokuchava, Unity coalition (gained 10.12% of votes):
Victory was stolen from the Georgian people.
It’s very serious to say that the elections were held without problems,” said Marketa Gregorova, a member of the European Parliament and an independent election observer in Georgia.
In a commentary to Formula, MEP Marketa Gregorova, who arrived in Tbilisi to observe the parliamentary elections in Georgia, said that it is inappropriate to talk about elections “without problems”:
Based on the problems we have personally seen and the accusations we hear, it is too serious to say that the elections were held without problems
According to MEP Gregorova, the decision to suspend the EU accession process will not change.
Earlier, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze echoed the assessment of OSCE/ODIHR observers, who did not greatly criticize the voting process and expressed hope for an improvement in the situation in the government “elected by this vote.”
Kobakhidze said that the press conference of the international monitoring missions proved that there are no doubts or question marks in connection with the legitimation of the parliamentary elections in Georgia.
Bribery of voters
During the parliamentary elections in Georgia, international observers recorded many violations.
Thus, according to IRI, representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party collected voter identification cards.
This, according to the international commission, created psychological pressure and contributed to vote buying, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
Also, reportedly, despite the technically sound voting, problems arose with scanning ballots and secret voting.
Of the obvious violations, IRI observers noted:
- Systematic pressure on voters
- Vote buying
- Re-voting and checking tags
John Shimkus, co-chief mission officer of the International Republican Institute (IRI), called on the Central Election Commission to conduct a fair and transparent vote count.
Daniel Twining, President of IRI, noted the need for transparent and inclusive elections. He called on the Georgian parliament to repeal the foreign agents law, which threatens fundamental freedoms and creates an atmosphere of fear, limiting freedom of speech and expression.
In addition, observers noted that the ruling party used state resources to increase its activity and intimidate voters.
Local residents reported that they were threatened with deprivation of social assistance if they did not support the Georgian Dream.
The work of the Central Election Commission was also criticized by the international commission.
According to Margareta Cederfelt, one of the leaders of IRI, public trust in the CEC is very low.
The head of the observation mission of ENEMO (NGO “European Network of Election Observation Organizations”), Zlatko Vujvovic, said that the parliamentary elections in Georgia were held in a “polarized and restrictive environment.”
At the same time, the Democracy Institute (NDI) calls for waiting until the complaints are processed.
According to the latest preliminary results of the Central Election Commission, Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia received 54.273% (1,114,936 votes) in the parliamentary elections. The ballots of voters who voted in 3085 precincts have been counted, which is 99.164% of the total number (precincts). A total of 3,111 polling stations were opened during the elections.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.