Georgia's President calls for protests against Russian operation for choice

Georgia's President calls for protests against Russian operation for choice

Tbilisi, Georgia - In an impressive demonstration of the unit, the often disputed opposition of Georgia gathered in the presidential palace in Tbilisi and stood up behind President Salome Zourabichvili. She decidedly announced: "I do not recognize these elections. Your recognition would be synonymous with the legitimization of Russia's takeover of Georgia ... We cannot give up our European future in favor of future generations."

election campaign in Georgia: Allegations of the forgery

Zourabichvili said that the election carried out by the ruling party "Georgischer Dream" on October 26th was "illegitimate" and a "complete fake". With increasing tone she said: "We were not only witnesses, but also victims of what can only be described as a special Russian operation - a new form of hybrid warfare that is led against our people and our country."

peaceful protest for the future

She called the Georgians to gather on Monday evening on the main street of the capital, the Rustaweli Allee, "to defend every voice and above all our future peacefully." This explanation was a courageous challenge to the founder of the Georgian dream and current honorary chairman, the withdrawn billionaire and oligarch Bidzina Ivananghvili, who even announced the victory in the parliamentary election before counting all votes.

elections under observation

While the Georgians made their voices, thousands of Georgian and International election observers were distributed across the entire country, from urban centers to poor, remote villages in the Caucasus mountains to check whether the choice was free and fair. In the course of the election day, videos quickly spread with contradictions, including serious, like a man who bravely stuffed ballot papers.

reports on serious violations

the day after the election, at an briefing from the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, the conclusions were worrying: "Systematic" intimidation; Nastications of voters inside and outside the polling stations; "Penerating intimidation and pressure on employees of the public sector and recipient of social benefits." Observations by the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) were even more alarming: “ISFED ISFED serious violations such as stuffing votes, multiple votes, unprecedented bribery of voters, observers from polling stations and mobilizations of voters outside of the polling locations Personal data and the control of your election intentions. ”

a climate of fear

In Tbilis, former US MP John Shimkus said that the intimidation and harassment of voters had created an “atmosphere of fear”. The Swedish MP Margareta Cederfelt added: "The continued harassment and intimidation of voters and civil society by the government not only during the election period, but also long before, threatens the democratic foundations of Georgia."

unit of opposition

The Georgian opposition owes its new unit to the efforts of President Zourabichvili, who previously criticizes some of them, but now respect. "It is on the right side of history," said opposition politician Nika Gvaramia. "She is the only one who can combine people."

allegations against Russia

in his headquarters of the Ahali party, part of the "coalition 4 change", said Gvaramia together with Elene Khoshtaria, the founder of the "Droa" party, the reporters: "Russia chopped the (Georgian) elections." They claimed Moscow carried out a "hybrid warfare" with new and different means of technical manipulation that come directly from "Putin's manual". The West, they added, did not even lag behind.

international visit after the elections

In the meantime, the Georgian government announced that its first high -ranking visitor will be the elections of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who plans to appear on a top -class visit to Georgia on October 28 and 29, to support the government of the Georgian dream. The illiberal leader found a common basis with the ruling party in Georgia and was the first international leader to congratulate them on the election - even before the votes were officially counted.