Police in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, have forcibly broken up a tent camp in the city center, set up by opposition activists to protest against alleged ballot fraud in last month’s election.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which advocates pragmatic relations with all neighbors including Russia, won a parliamentary majority of nearly 54% on October 26, with four opposition parties trailing behind with no more than 11% each. On Saturday, the Central Electoral Commission of the South Caucasus nation officially confirmed the results.
The opposition, along with Georgia's President, French-born Salome Zourabichvili, have claimed the election was marred by vote rigging and Russian interference. The critics have, however, not provided any evidence, and when asked to do so by the country’s prosecutor general late last month, Zourabichvili refused to cooperate.
Georgian election officials criticized Zourabichvili’s rhetoric on Tuesday, calling for prosecutors to investigate her “unfounded attacks” on the Central Election Commission. They emphasized that international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had "positively assessed the elections" and found no significant violations.
The OSCE has reported that Georgian voters were offered a wide choice of candidates, who could “generally campaign freely.”
However, the US and EU expressed concerns and urged Georgian authorities to look into reports of irregularities.
On Tuesday the head of state, who holds a largely ceremonial role, announced her plans to lodge an official complaint with Georgia’s Constitutional Court.
Clashes between police and protesters erupted outside Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University early on Tuesday, TASS news agency has reported. Law enforcement officers used tear gas, while demonstrators pelted them with stones. The police eventually cleared the tents and barricades set up by the activists, who were blocking traffic, the Russian outlet said.
According to media reports, police have detained up to ten protesters.
Over the weekend, similar scenes played out outside Georgia’s Central Electoral Commission while the election results were being ratified. Inside the building, a commission member from the opposition splashed a small bucket of black paint in the face of the commission chief, Georgy Kalandarishvili. The man accused the official of “taking away Georgia’s future” and “pushing our country towards Russia,” before being escorted out by security personnel.
Last month, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller made claims of vote buying and voter intimidation in Georgia. He also threatened the government with “consequences” unless it is ready to “recommit to its democratic Euro-Atlantic trajectory”
European Union representatives have also voiced their objections. Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Tbilisi to investigate alleged “irregularities and voter intimidation.” They also warned Georgia that its EU accession path could be suspended unless it repeals “recent legislation that runs counter to European values and principles.”
The European leaders were apparently referring to a ‘foreign agents’ law as well as legislation prohibiting LGBTQ propaganda, passed in Georgia earlier this year.
In late October, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied any attempts by Moscow to influence the Georgian election, and condemned the “completely unprecedented interference attempts from the West.”