01:09Pro-European Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili was seen addressing a rally against the results of parliamentary elections near the parliament building in Tbilisi, Monday.
Footage shows protesters holding flags of Georgia, the European Union, and Ukraine, singing the national anthem. The video also features Zurabishvili addressing the crowd before she descended from the stage to take pictures with the protesters.
According to media reports, the protesters called for a rerun of the election with international observers present.
On October 27, the Central Election Commission of the country released the results of the parliamentary elections held the previous day. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, won 53.93 percent, surpassing the opposition bloc.
Approximately two million people cast their votes in the election, which represents a turnout of 59 percent of eligible voters. There were a total of 3,044 voting stations open across the country, as well as an additional 67 abroad.
On the same day, Zurabishvili said that she did not 'recognise' the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party and urged the population to participate in protests.
"Recognising these elections actually means recognising the fact that Russia has come here, that we are subordinate to Russia. That is not the reason I came to this country. <…> 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," she said.
In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described Zurabishvili’s suggestions of 'interference' as 'nonsense'.
Representatives of the United National Movement and the Coalition for Change opposition parties have also refused to accept the results. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, on his X [formerly Twitter] account, claimed that the election was 'completely rigged and stolen'.
For his part, 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', while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also sent a congratulatory letter to the prime minister, calling the Georgian Dream party a 'leading political force'.
Addressing the election, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken drew attention to reports of violations of international norms in the past elections and called on foreign and domestic observers to 'conduct a full investigation' into non-compliance with regulations.
Take to the streets! Pro-EU President Zurabishvili rallies supporters at protest against election results in Tbilisi
Pro-European Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili was seen addressing a rally against the results of parliamentary elections near the parliament building in Tbilisi, Monday.
Footage shows protesters holding flags of Georgia, the European Union, and Ukraine, singing the national anthem. The video also features Zurabishvili addressing the crowd before she descended from the stage to take pictures with the protesters.
According to media reports, the protesters called for a rerun of the election with international observers present.
On October 27, the Central Election Commission of the country released the results of the parliamentary elections held the previous day. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, won 53.93 percent, surpassing the opposition bloc.
Approximately two million people cast their votes in the election, which represents a turnout of 59 percent of eligible voters. There were a total of 3,044 voting stations open across the country, as well as an additional 67 abroad.
On the same day, Zurabishvili said that she did not 'recognise' the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party and urged the population to participate in protests.
"Recognising these elections actually means recognising the fact that Russia has come here, that we are subordinate to Russia. That is not the reason I came to this country. <…> 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," she said.
In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described Zurabishvili’s suggestions of 'interference' as 'nonsense'.
Representatives of the United National Movement and the Coalition for Change opposition parties have also refused to accept the results. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, on his X [formerly Twitter] account, claimed that the election was 'completely rigged and stolen'.
For his part, 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', while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also sent a congratulatory letter to the prime minister, calling the Georgian Dream party a 'leading political force'.
Addressing the election, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken drew attention to reports of violations of international norms in the past elections and called on foreign and domestic observers to 'conduct a full investigation' into non-compliance with regulations.
Pro-European Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili was seen addressing a rally against the results of parliamentary elections near the parliament building in Tbilisi, Monday.
Footage shows protesters holding flags of Georgia, the European Union, and Ukraine, singing the national anthem. The video also features Zurabishvili addressing the crowd before she descended from the stage to take pictures with the protesters.
According to media reports, the protesters called for a rerun of the election with international observers present.
On October 27, the Central Election Commission of the country released the results of the parliamentary elections held the previous day. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, won 53.93 percent, surpassing the opposition bloc.
Approximately two million people cast their votes in the election, which represents a turnout of 59 percent of eligible voters. There were a total of 3,044 voting stations open across the country, as well as an additional 67 abroad.
On the same day, Zurabishvili said that she did not 'recognise' the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party and urged the population to participate in protests.
"Recognising these elections actually means recognising the fact that Russia has come here, that we are subordinate to Russia. That is not the reason I came to this country. <…> 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," she said.
In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described Zurabishvili’s suggestions of 'interference' as 'nonsense'.
Representatives of the United National Movement and the Coalition for Change opposition parties have also refused to accept the results. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, on his X [formerly Twitter] account, claimed that the election was 'completely rigged and stolen'.
For his part, 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', while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also sent a congratulatory letter to the prime minister, calling the Georgian Dream party a 'leading political force'.
Addressing the election, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken drew attention to reports of violations of international norms in the past elections and called on foreign and domestic observers to 'conduct a full investigation' into non-compliance with regulations.