Georgia president calls for fresh election after contested vote

 

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili votes in the country's parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tbilisi on October 26, 2024. [AFP]

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on Monday called for fresh parliamentary elections to resolve a crisis sparked by last month's vote denounced by the opposition as rigged in favour of the ruling party.

The European Union and the United States have called for a probe into electoral "irregularities" in the October 26 vote won by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The pro-Western opposition has refused to recognise the election result or enter the newly elected parliament, which it deems "illegitimate".

Zurabishvili -- who is at loggerheads with the governing party -- has also described the vote as illegitimate and accused Russia of interference. Moscow has denied meddling.

At a press conference on Monday, Zurabishvili said the election was "controlled and manipulated by one party".

"This is why we are now facing a crisis," she said, adding that the country needs "new elections so that Georgia could have a legitimate parliament, a legitimate government".

"Our friends are here to join us in seeking out ways to help Georgia emerge from this crisis," Zurabishvili said, referring to a group of European MPs who visited Georgia on Monday.

Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili refused to meet the delegation made up of leaders of parliamentary committees for foreign affairs from eight European countries, including France and Germany.

'Don't give up'

Later in the evening, the delegation joined a pro-Europe rally outside Georgia's parliament led by opposition parties.

"We are here to encourage you," Michael Roth, the chair of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee told thousands of cheering demonstrators.

"You are exhausted, frustrated, tired, but dear friends, don't give up, we are with you."

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Tbilisi to protest alleged electoral fraud.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that the ruling party is considering a ban on opposition parties "if they persist in actions that violate the constitution".

On Friday, EU chief Charles Michel said "there are serious suspicions of fraud, which require a serious investigation".

Ahead of the election, Brussels had warned the vote would determine Georgia's chances of joining the bloc.

A group of Georgia's leading election monitors said earlier that they had uncovered evidence of a complex scheme of large-scale electoral fraud that swayed results in favour of Georgian Dream.

The ruling party insists the vote was free and fair and that EU membership remains "the top priority" of its government.

But critics have blamed the increasingly conservative party for derailing Georgia from its European path and bringing Tbilisi back into Moscow's orbit.