Russia denies having influenced the results // The EU calls for an investigation irregularities in the election
▲ Protest in front of Parliament in Tbilisi to demand the annulment of Saturday’s elections.Photo Ap
Juan Pablo Duch
Correspondent
La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, p. 23
Moscow. Thousands of people attended the rally called by the opposition last night in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, to protest what they call falsification of results and demand, as the only demand, the repeat legislative electionsbut excluding the Central Electoral Commission of that Caucasian republic of the former Soviet Union from the organization and counting of votes, as could be seen in the extensive coverage of Georgian satellite television channels.
Held at the initiative of the country’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, who does not recognize the results that give victory to the ruling Georgian Dream party, whose bench of 89 deputies exceeds the minimum to form a government by 13 legislators, the rally in the center of the capital of Georgia brought together the dissatisfied with the irregularities –they maintain– that they facilitated the victory of the ruling party –and they accuse– with the complicity of the highest authority in electoral matters.
On behalf of the opposition groups, who insist that by adding the votes they actually received they surpass the Georgian Dream, Georgi Vashadze, leader of the National Unity-Movement, spoke, who explained, acclaimed by the crowd, what they agreed to. the four coalitions and parties that faced the ruling party at the polls last Saturday:
First, we, like all of you, consider that these elections lack legitimacy; second, we have no intention of being part of this Parliament, we renounce all (deputy) mandates and annul party lists; third, we are going to fight until we win and we promise that we will win; and fourth, we have a concrete demand: repeat the elections, but organized by an international electoral administration.
Vashadze did not specify what the opposition leaders understand by international electoral administration and reiterated that they are not going to negotiate with Sueño Georgiano, except the conditions to repeat the appointment at the polls.
Faced with what is beginning to emerge as the umpteenth crisis of power in the country, Georgian Dream, which rejects all accusations of having altered the results and assures that its victory reflects the majority will of Georgians, yesterday received a visit from the controversial prime minister of Hungary, Victor Orbán, who traveled to Tbilisi to express his support for his Georgian colleague, Irakli Kobajidze.
Orbán, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) until the following December, did not receive any mandate from the European Council for this trip and is doing so in a personal capacity, Brussels clarified.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and other community leaders, continued to call on the Georgian authorities to seriously investigate alleged irregularities which, they say, occurred during Saturday’s vote.
The EU, according to one of its spokespersons, Nabila Massrali, considers that the elections in Georgia were marked by an unprecedented disinformation campaign and harsh anti-European rhetoric, inspired by Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov rejected categorically accusations that Russia tried to influence the Georgian elections. It is something that is standard for many countries. As soon as anything happens, they immediately blame Russia for interference. No, that’s not like that. There was no interference. These accusations have no basisPeskov remarked.
And in some way, from Tbilisi, the Hungarian Chancellor, Péter Szijjártó, who is part of Orbán’s entourage, agreed with him by blaming the EU for calling into question the cleanliness of the elections in Georgia. In his opinion, On Saturday, those appointed by Brussels and the liberal majority did not win, but rather the ruling party that defends sovereignty, peace and the family; In a word, national interests.
