Georgia’s pro-Western president calls for mass street protests
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has rejected the results of Saturday’s parliamentary election and is calling for mass protests, alleging that the voting process was manipulated in favor of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
According to official results, Georgian Dream secured 54% of the vote, while opposition parties received between 11% and 3%.
French–born Zourabichvili – a career diplomat for Paris, who only acquired Georgian citizenship in her 50s – condemned the election as a “Russian-style” operation, claiming that Georgian Dream is steering the nation towards Moscow, and away from that of the EU.
Despite Zourabichvili calling the election a “total fraud,” the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported that it observed no systemic voting irregularities. It did, however, claim to have observed incidents of vote-buying and pressure on public sector employees, but praised the diversity of choices on the ballot.
In contrast to the OSCE’s assessment, Zourabichvili accused Georgian Dream of attempting to “steal” the country’s “European future” by aligning it with Russia, sparking a call for international intervention.
Pro-Western opposition forces, including the United National Movement (UNM) and the Coalition for Change, have backed Zourabichvili’s accusations, refusing to take seats in the new parliament. UNM leader Tina Bokuchava condemned Georgian Dream for allegedly enabling corruption and external influence, vowing to “fight like never before” to overturn the results.
Zourabichvili held a series of meetings with opposition leaders on Sunday, affirming her stance at an emergency press briefing. “I am not one person; I am an institution that represents the population,” she declared, calling for citizens to join the protests.
The president, a former French diplomat, also appealed to Western nations to “protect Georgia” and maintain stability in the region, emphasizing that she is the “only independent institution left” in Georgia’s government. Previously, Zourabichvili has also supported other protests in Georgia, including against ‘foreign agent’ legislation and “LGBT propaganda’ laws she also branded as “Russian-style.”
Georgian Dream representatives dismissed Zourabichvili’s allegations, accusing her of abandoning her presidential role to join the “radical opposition.” Party chairman Mamuka Mdinaradze asserted that the president’s statements align more with foreign interests than national priorities, insisting that Georgian Dream will move forward with forming a government.
According to Georgian law, a simple 76-seat majority is needed to confirm the next prime minister and cabinet, and Georgian Dream could gain up to 90 of the chamber’s 150 seats.
