Thousands protest Georgian parliamentary election results

Tbilisi, Georgia — Tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets Monday to protest the ruling party’s victory in parliamentary elections over the weekend, claiming the outcome had been rigged with the help of Russia. The United States and Western allies assailed what they said were “irregularities” in the vote.  The ruling Georgian Dream party won nearly 54% of the vote in results announced by the country’s electoral commission, compared with about 38% for four pro-Western opposition alliances.  For months, Georgian Dream has been accused by the opposition of steering the country away from its goal of joining the European Union and back into Russia's orbit.  Tens of thousands of protesters, many waving Georgian and EU flags, massed outside the main parliament building in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. They sang Georgia's national anthem, "Freedom," before pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili — at loggerheads with the ruling party — addressed the rally.  "Your votes were stolen, but we will not let anyone steal our future," the mostly ceremonial leader told the cheering crowd, adding: "I swear to stand with you until the end on our path towards Europe, where we belong." She alleged that the vote was rigged using "sophisticated" methods she linked to Russia.  The U.S., the European Union, Germany and France all condemned "irregularities" in the Saturday vote.  State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “We want to see the process investigated. We've noted the irregularities, and it calls [for] local and international officials to see a full investigation.”  Moscow rejected any suggestion that it had rigged the vote or interfered in it.  "We aren't meddling in Georgia's internal affairs, and we have no intention of meddling," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He countered that it was the West that had tried to influence the vote.  Peskov described Zourabichvili's call for the Georgians to join protests as an attempt to destabilize the country.  Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili, a member of Georgian Dream, accused the president of creating "a coup scenario" that goes "against the constitutional order and democratic elections."  Giorgi Vashadze, leader of United National Movement coalition, said the opposition won't take part in any talks with the government and push for a new vote under international supervision.  "We are not going to enter this parliament. We refuse all mandates," he said. "We are not going to enter into any negotiations. We are going to fight until victory, and we promise you, we will definitely win together."  EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "Georgians, like all Europeans, must be masters of their own destiny."  The Georgian Dream party, established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has become increasingly authoritarian in the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Georgia's political leaders to "respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, address deficiencies in the electoral process, and move Georgia toward its Euro-Atlantic future."  He called for a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations, as did EU Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali, who said Georgian Dream's campaign was "directly inspired" by Russian propaganda and there were "unprecedented levels of disinformation."  Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who is a member of Georgian Dream, on Sunday described his party's victory as "impressive and obvious," and said "any attempts to talk about election manipulation ... are doomed to failure." Georgian Dream, now headed for a fourth term in office, will take 89 seats in parliament, one less than it secured in 2020, the commission said, with four pro-Western opposition parties receiving 61 seats in total.  Western countries have described the results as a setback for Georgia's democracy and a worrying shift toward Moscow.  "There is overwhelming evidence provided by international observers and local NGOs indicating that this election was neither free nor fair,” Elene Khoshtaria of the Coalition for Change, told VOA.  “Secondly, there is a stark contradiction between the international exit polls and the official election results. And thirdly, there is a clear rejection by the people … that we will not accept Russian-style, manipulated election results," Khoshtaria added. In a significant move, three of the four main opposition parties have declared they will not take their seats in parliament, refusing to legitimize what they describe as a stolen election.  Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of Georgian Dream, responded to the opposition's decision to forgo parliamentary mandates, saying, "If they say they won't enter parliament, then let them stay out. We will continue working for our homeland and prevent any sabotage of our country by agents."  Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.