Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, charges that Russia meddled in the election in order to gain more influence in Georgian politics.
Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, has declared that she will not accept the outcome of the most recent parliamentary elections, citing Russian meddling intended to increase its power in Georgia.
“As the last independent institution, I cannot recognise these elections—it would legitimise Russia’s takeover of Georgia,” Zourabichvili wrote on X on Sunday. He added “Our ancestors endured too much for us to surrender our European future.”
With 53.93 percent of the vote, the incumbent Georgian Dream party appears to have won the preliminary election. Opposition parties received lower shares, such as Gakharia for Georgia at 7.77 percent, Unity-UNM at 10.16 percent, Strong Georgia at 8.81 percent, and the Coalition for Change at 11.03 percent.
Zourabichvili denounced the election process from the Presidential Palace, calling it a form of “hybrid warfare” and claiming it was a part of a Russian plot to influence Georgian politics.
Georgia’s prime minister, meantime, has praised the election outcome and denied any wrongdoing.
“Irregularities happen everywhere,” Georgian Dream party leader Irakli Kobakhidze told the BBC in an interview on Sunday.
“The general content of the elections was in line with legal principles and the principle of democratic elections.”
Additionally, he stated that the new electronic voting method eliminated any possibility of tampering.
“Preserve Georgia.”
Zourabichvili, who sided with the opposition, urged foreign friends to “protect Georgia by standing with the people, not an illegitimate government.”
She called for a protest in front of the Parliament Building in Tbilisi on Monday night, inviting both the general population and opposition leaders to attend.
The Russian government has yet to respond to Zourabichvili’s accusations.
Kobakhidze also charged the opposition of deceit, claiming that they had previously claimed that the vote had been rigged in 2020, 2021, and 2016.
“Of course, they have now no other way, so they have to tell their supporters that either they were lying or the government rigged the elections.”
