٠٠:٠٢:٢٣Mandatory credit: Georgian government press service
Pro-EU Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said that she did 'not recognise' the victory of the governing Georgian Dream party in the latest parliamentary elections, during a briefing in Tbilisi on Sunday.
"I do not recognise these elections. You can’t recognise these elections. Recognising these elections actually means recognising the fact that Russia has come here, that we are subordinate to Russia," she alleged. "That is not the reason I came to this country. That's not the reason our ancestors lived here. We will not accept this for the sake of our future generations. We can't let anyone take away Georgia's European future."
Zurabishvili also called on Georgians to 'gather tomorrow evening' to protest the election results. "I would like to appeal to everyone and urge them to gather tomorrow evening at seven o'clock on Rustaveli avenue to tell together the whole world that we do not recognise these elections, that we defend our constitutional right to peacefully defend our votes. But the main thing is our future, that fair and democratic elections will be held in the country in the future. We will not cede this right to anyone," she said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described her claims of 'interference' as 'nonsense'.
The country's Central Election Commission (CEC) released preliminary results on Sunday after 99.65 percent of votes had been counted, with Georgian Dream securing 54.08 percent, overtaking the opposition bloc.
Meanwhile, representatives of the United National Movement and Coalition for Change opposition parties also refused to accept the election results. According to media reports, one of the party leaders, Elene Khoshtariya, announced protests from October 27. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili claimed via his X account (formerly Twitter) that the election had been 'completely rigged and stolen'.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the opposition bloc's unwillingness to 'accept the results' of the parliamentary elections a 'hopeless attempt' to save face.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Kobakhidze on his 'overwhelming victory' in the parliamentary elections, while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also sent a congratulatory letter to the prime minister, calling the Georgian Dream party a 'leading political force'.
Approximately two million people participated in the election, representing a turnout of 59 percent of eligible voters. A total of 3,044 polling stations opened across the country, with an additional 67 stations abroad.
Factions must win at least five percent, and seats in the legislature are distributed among the parties in proportion to the number of votes cast for their lists. The leading political movement puts forward the candidate for prime minister.
'We can't let anyone take away Georgia's European future!' - Pres Zurabishvili refuses to recognise election results, calls for protests
Pro-EU Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said that she did 'not recognise' the victory of the governing Georgian Dream party in the latest parliamentary elections, during a briefing in Tbilisi on Sunday.
"I do not recognise these elections. You can’t recognise these elections. Recognising these elections actually means recognising the fact that Russia has come here, that we are subordinate to Russia," she alleged. "That is not the reason I came to this country. That's not the reason our ancestors lived here. We will not accept this for the sake of our future generations. We can't let anyone take away Georgia's European future."
Zurabishvili also called on Georgians to 'gather tomorrow evening' to protest the election results. "I would like to appeal to everyone and urge them to gather tomorrow evening at seven o'clock on Rustaveli avenue to tell together the whole world that we do not recognise these elections, that we defend our constitutional right to peacefully defend our votes. But the main thing is our future, that fair and democratic elections will be held in the country in the future. We will not cede this right to anyone," she said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described her claims of 'interference' as 'nonsense'.
The country's Central Election Commission (CEC) released preliminary results on Sunday after 99.65 percent of votes had been counted, with Georgian Dream securing 54.08 percent, overtaking the opposition bloc.
Meanwhile, representatives of the United National Movement and Coalition for Change opposition parties also refused to accept the election results. According to media reports, one of the party leaders, Elene Khoshtariya, announced protests from October 27. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili claimed via his X account (formerly Twitter) that the election had been 'completely rigged and stolen'.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the opposition bloc's unwillingness to 'accept the results' of the parliamentary elections a 'hopeless attempt' to save face.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Kobakhidze on his 'overwhelming victory' in the parliamentary elections, while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also sent a congratulatory letter to the prime minister, calling the Georgian Dream party a 'leading political force'.
Approximately two million people participated in the election, representing a turnout of 59 percent of eligible voters. A total of 3,044 polling stations opened across the country, with an additional 67 stations abroad.
Factions must win at least five percent, and seats in the legislature are distributed among the parties in proportion to the number of votes cast for their lists. The leading political movement puts forward the candidate for prime minister.
Mandatory credit: Georgian government press service
Pro-EU Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said that she did 'not recognise' the victory of the governing Georgian Dream party in the latest parliamentary elections, during a briefing in Tbilisi on Sunday.
"I do not recognise these elections. You can’t recognise these elections. Recognising these elections actually means recognising the fact that Russia has come here, that we are subordinate to Russia," she alleged. "That is not the reason I came to this country. That's not the reason our ancestors lived here. We will not accept this for the sake of our future generations. We can't let anyone take away Georgia's European future."
Zurabishvili also called on Georgians to 'gather tomorrow evening' to protest the election results. "I would like to appeal to everyone and urge them to gather tomorrow evening at seven o'clock on Rustaveli avenue to tell together the whole world that we do not recognise these elections, that we defend our constitutional right to peacefully defend our votes. But the main thing is our future, that fair and democratic elections will be held in the country in the future. We will not cede this right to anyone," she said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described her claims of 'interference' as 'nonsense'.
The country's Central Election Commission (CEC) released preliminary results on Sunday after 99.65 percent of votes had been counted, with Georgian Dream securing 54.08 percent, overtaking the opposition bloc.
Meanwhile, representatives of the United National Movement and Coalition for Change opposition parties also refused to accept the election results. According to media reports, one of the party leaders, Elene Khoshtariya, announced protests from October 27. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili claimed via his X account (formerly Twitter) that the election had been 'completely rigged and stolen'.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the opposition bloc's unwillingness to 'accept the results' of the parliamentary elections a 'hopeless attempt' to save face.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Kobakhidze on his 'overwhelming victory' in the parliamentary elections, while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also sent a congratulatory letter to the prime minister, calling the Georgian Dream party a 'leading political force'.
Approximately two million people participated in the election, representing a turnout of 59 percent of eligible voters. A total of 3,044 polling stations opened across the country, with an additional 67 stations abroad.
Factions must win at least five percent, and seats in the legislature are distributed among the parties in proportion to the number of votes cast for their lists. The leading political movement puts forward the candidate for prime minister.