The president of Georgia has called for protests after election officials said the pro-Russia ruling party had won a majority in Saturday’s parliamentary election. She called for supporters of the opposition to rally on Monday in the capital, Tbilisi.
Salome Zourabichvili told reporters on Sunday that she could not recognize the election outcome. The pro-Western president said it would be the same as “recognizing the entry of Russia” into her country. Georgia is a former Soviet republic.
The pro-Western opposition parties have rejected the results, saying the election was rigged. They are pushing to have Georgia become a member of the European Union.
The Central Election Commission announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party had received 54 percent of the vote. The party is seen as having a conciliatory stance toward Moscow, leading to a worsening in relations with Western nations.
The head of the European Parliament’s monitoring delegation held a news conference on Sunday following the election. He said his teams had witnessed voter intimidation and physical assaults on observers.
The EU issued a statement calling on the election commission and other relevant authorities to investigate electoral irregularities.