Georgia elections in turmoil: Protests erupt over vote fraud
Georgia's pro-Western President, Salome Zourabichvili, announced on Sunday evening that she does not recognize the results of the country's parliamentary elections. She called for a demonstration in the centre of Tbilisi on Monday.
Zourabichvili stated at a press conference, following a meeting with opposition leaders, that Georgian voters were victims of a Russian "special operation."
The demonstration called by the president is set to begin on Monday on Rustaveli Avenue.
Saakashvili: Time for major protests
Former President Mikheil Saakashvili declared on Sunday that none of the opposition parties should accept parliamentary mandates following Saturday's elections in Georgia.
- Of course, no one from the opposition should enter the parliament! This is not the time for self-pity because we were deceived. It is time for major protest actions to show the world that we are fighting for freedom and that we are a nation that will not accept injustice - asserted the former president, who is serving a prison sentence for abuse of power, which he and his supporters consider politically motivated.
The party founded by Saakashvili, the United National Movement, announced that it does not recognize the results of Saturday's elections and will not accept parliamentary mandates. The opposition Coalition for Change also declared that it renounces the mandates it officially won in the elections because it does not wish to legitimize them.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, commented on these statements by saying that if the opposition does not enter the parliament, there will "at least be a normal environment for work" and no "sabotage from the agency." He called on the opposition "to keep their word."
