Georgia president hints at Russian-aided vote fraud in AFP interview
Georgia’s pro-European president Salome Zurabishvili in an interview with AFP Monday alleged that parliamentary polls — whose results have been rejected by the opposition — were marred by widespread voting fraud bearing the hallmarks of Russia’s influence.
According to near-final results announced by the electoral commission, the ruling party Georgian Dream won 53.92 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election, compared with 37.78 percent won by a union of pro-Western opposition alliances.
The opposition has said the vote was unfair and has refused to concede defeat to a party it accuses of pro-Kremlin authoritarianism.
Moscow has rejected opposition claims of interference in the vote.
But Zurabishvili — who has a figurehead role in Georgian politics — has declared the announced results “illegitimate” and pointed at the Caucasus country’s former Soviet master.
Speaking to AFP, the head of state claimed that “quite sophisticated” fraudulent schemes were used in the weekend vote — with a higher level of planning than the government seemed capable of achieving to stay in power.
This appeared to show “Russian methodology”, which she said was unsurprising “given what the relations are between the party in power and Russia”.
She alleged that Georgian Dream’s “electoral propaganda was totally copied from Russian propaganda” and “they have PR people… who come from Russia”.
“It’s very difficult to accuse a government, and that’s not my role, but the methodology is Russian,” she said.
Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili told AFPTV that the alleged voting fraud bore all the hallmarks of Russia's influence - Copyright AFP AFPTV
– ‘Stalinist’ ballot counts –
In addition, the vote saw “methods linked to” electronic voting technology, used for the first time in Georgia, she alleged.
Identity cards with the same number were used to register “up to 17, 20 votes in different regions”, she added.
More “classic methods” of electoral fraud were also employed, the president charged, including “the purchase of votes, pressure in particular on public office holders, pressure on the families of prisoners who can be promised release”.
“There was money distributed visibly in minibuses at the exit of the polling stations,” she claimed.
Zurabishvili likewise pointed to seemingly incredible vote tallies for the ruling party in areas with significant ethnic minority populations, such as the Azerbaijani-majority city of Marneuli.
“In some ethnic minority towns and villages, the results were 97 percent” in favour of Georgian Dream, she said.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that since the Stalinist period.”
– ‘Theft of our future’ –
Thousands took to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Monday evening in response to opposition calls to protest the “stolen election” — a call Zurabishvili urged Georgians to heed.
“People know full well that we should not threaten the country’s stability. But that does not mean that we should be complacent and resigned to this theft,” the president said.
“This is a theft not only of our voice… it’s the theft of our future in Europe,” she added.
Under the Georgian constitution, the country officially aspires to join the EU and the US-led NATO defence alliance.
But in the aftermath of the passing of a Kremlin-copycat “foreign influence” law used to silence dissent, Brussels placed Georgia’s EU accession process on ice while the United States imposed sanctions on several Georgian officials.
Three weeks ahead of the election, the Georgian Dream party also passed legislation severely restricting the rights of LGBTQ people, with hostility to alternative sexualities still strong in the deeply Orthodox Christian country
– A ‘threatening’ Russia –
Zurabishvili said Georgia could only return to the path to EU membership “if there is a change of policy”.
She urged a “clear will on the part of the authorities to recognise a part of the fraud, to accept and immediately promise or implement the cancellation of the laws on foreign agents, on LGBTQ people”.
“There are several laws that are turning this country into a Russian-style regime.”
A former member of the USSR nestled on the shores of the Black Sea, Georgia still bears the scars of a brief war with Russia in 2008.
In the aftermath, Moscow set up military bases in the separatist Georgian Regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and recognised their unilateral declaration of independence.
The ruling party advocates improved relations with Moscow, raising the spectre of the “Ukrainisation” of Georgia and fresh fighting with the Kremlin’s troops.
For Zurabishvili, the government is making a grave mistake — not least given Russia’s role as Ukraine’s “aggressor”.
“As long as Russia does not return to the path of international norms and standards, it is difficult to deal with. It is threatening,” the president warned.
“And I think the population here is perfectly aware of that.”
Romain COLAS
Georgia’s pro-European president Salome Zurabishvili in an interview with AFP Monday alleged that parliamentary polls — whose results have been rejected by the opposition — were marred by widespread voting fraud bearing the hallmarks of Russia’s influence.
According to near-final results announced by the electoral commission, the ruling party Georgian Dream won 53.92 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election, compared with 37.78 percent won by a union of pro-Western opposition alliances.
The opposition has said the vote was unfair and has refused to concede defeat to a party it accuses of pro-Kremlin authoritarianism.
Moscow has rejected opposition claims of interference in the vote.
But Zurabishvili — who has a figurehead role in Georgian politics — has declared the announced results “illegitimate” and pointed at the Caucasus country’s former Soviet master.
Speaking to AFP, the head of state claimed that “quite sophisticated” fraudulent schemes were used in the weekend vote — with a higher level of planning than the government seemed capable of achieving to stay in power.
This appeared to show “Russian methodology”, which she said was unsurprising “given what the relations are between the party in power and Russia”.
She alleged that Georgian Dream’s “electoral propaganda was totally copied from Russian propaganda” and “they have PR people… who come from Russia”.
“It’s very difficult to accuse a government, and that’s not my role, but the methodology is Russian,” she said.
Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili told AFPTV that the alleged voting fraud bore all the hallmarks of Russia's influence - Copyright AFP AFPTV
– ‘Stalinist’ ballot counts –
In addition, the vote saw “methods linked to” electronic voting technology, used for the first time in Georgia, she alleged.
Identity cards with the same number were used to register “up to 17, 20 votes in different regions”, she added.
More “classic methods” of electoral fraud were also employed, the president charged, including “the purchase of votes, pressure in particular on public office holders, pressure on the families of prisoners who can be promised release”.
“There was money distributed visibly in minibuses at the exit of the polling stations,” she claimed.
Zurabishvili likewise pointed to seemingly incredible vote tallies for the ruling party in areas with significant ethnic minority populations, such as the Azerbaijani-majority city of Marneuli.
“In some ethnic minority towns and villages, the results were 97 percent” in favour of Georgian Dream, she said.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that since the Stalinist period.”
– ‘Theft of our future’ –
Thousands took to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Monday evening in response to opposition calls to protest the “stolen election” — a call Zurabishvili urged Georgians to heed.
“People know full well that we should not threaten the country’s stability. But that does not mean that we should be complacent and resigned to this theft,” the president said.
“This is a theft not only of our voice… it’s the theft of our future in Europe,” she added.
Under the Georgian constitution, the country officially aspires to join the EU and the US-led NATO defence alliance.
But in the aftermath of the passing of a Kremlin-copycat “foreign influence” law used to silence dissent, Brussels placed Georgia’s EU accession process on ice while the United States imposed sanctions on several Georgian officials.
Three weeks ahead of the election, the Georgian Dream party also passed legislation severely restricting the rights of LGBTQ people, with hostility to alternative sexualities still strong in the deeply Orthodox Christian country
– A ‘threatening’ Russia –
Zurabishvili said Georgia could only return to the path to EU membership “if there is a change of policy”.
She urged a “clear will on the part of the authorities to recognise a part of the fraud, to accept and immediately promise or implement the cancellation of the laws on foreign agents, on LGBTQ people”.
“There are several laws that are turning this country into a Russian-style regime.”
A former member of the USSR nestled on the shores of the Black Sea, Georgia still bears the scars of a brief war with Russia in 2008.
In the aftermath, Moscow set up military bases in the separatist Georgian Regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and recognised their unilateral declaration of independence.
The ruling party advocates improved relations with Moscow, raising the spectre of the “Ukrainisation” of Georgia and fresh fighting with the Kremlin’s troops.
For Zurabishvili, the government is making a grave mistake — not least given Russia’s role as Ukraine’s “aggressor”.
“As long as Russia does not return to the path of international norms and standards, it is difficult to deal with. It is threatening,” the president warned.
“And I think the population here is perfectly aware of that.”
NEWS WIRES
Tue 29 October 2024
A protester holds a Georgian flag during an opposition protest against the results of the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, October 28, 2024.
Georgia's central election commission said it will recount ballots from five polling stations randomly selected from each election district following the opposition's refusal to recognise the results of the weekend parliamentary election. The commission earlier said the ruling Georgian Dream party had won the election with 53.9 percent of votes.
Georgia's central election commission said it will recount ballots Tuesday at some 14 percent of polling stations after opposition parties denounced the weekend parliamentary election as rigged.
Pro-Western opposition parties have refused to recognise the results of Saturday's vote, which they claim was falsified in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Tens of thousands joined a protest rally in Tbilisi on Monday.
"District Election Commissions (DECs) will conduct recounts of ballots from five polling stations randomly selected in each election district," the commission said in a statement.
According to near-complete results announced by the commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.9 percent, compared with the 37.7 percent for an opposition coalition.
President Salome Zurabishvili has declared the election results "illegitimate," alleging election interference by a "Russian special operation", a claim that was rejected by the Kremlin.
(AFP)
Protests erupt in Georgia after contested vote as Hungary’s Orban visits
FRANCE 24
Mon 28 October 2024
Tens of thousands of Georgians massed outside parliament Monday night, demanding the annulment of the weekend parliamentary election that the president denounced as rigged with the help of Russia. Earlier, the Kremlin's closest EU ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, arrived in Tbilisi for a two-day visit.
Thousands of Georgians took to the streets Monday to protest against the ruling party's victory in parliamentary polls denounced as "stolen" by the pro-Western opposition, while Georgia's president alleged to AFP that the vote was rigged using "sophisticated" methods she linked to Russia.
The Caucasus country – rocked by mass protests earlier this year – has plunged into political uncertainty since Saturday's vote, with Brussels, Washington, France and Germany condemning "irregularities".
According to near-complete results announced by the electoral commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.92 percent of the vote, compared with the 37.78 percent garnered by a union of four pro-Western opposition alliances.
Georgian Dream has for months been accused by the opposition of steering Tbilisi away from its goal of joining the EU and back into Russia's orbit.
They also said that they "criticise" Orban's "premature visit to Georgia" in support of the government.
Tens of thousands protest in Georgia over 'stolen' election
Irakli METREVELI with Romain Colas
AFP
Mon 28 October 2024
Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators held a peaceful protest outside the main parliament building in central Tbilisi (Vano SHLAMOV) (Vano SHLAMOV/AFP/AFP)
Tens of thousands of Georgians protested in central Tbilisi on Monday after parliamentary polls denounced by the pro-Western opposition as "stolen", while Georgia's president alleged to AFP that the vote was rigged using "sophisticated" methods she linked to Russia.
The Caucasus country -- rocked by mass anti-government protests earlier this year -- has plunged into political uncertainty since Saturday's vote, with Washington and Brussels condemning "irregularities".
According to near-complete results announced by the electoral commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.92 percent, compared with the 37.78 percent garnered by a union of four pro-Western opposition alliances.
Georgian Dream has for months been accused by the opposition of steering Tbilisi away from its goal of joining the EU and back into Russia's orbit.
Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators held a peaceful protest outside the main parliament building in central Tbilisi on Monday evening that ended with calls for further rallies, AFP journalists saw.
Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the ruling party -- told the cheering crowd: "Your votes were stolen, but we will not let anyone steal our future."
"I promise to stand with you until the end, on our path towards Europe, where we belong," she said.
Opposition leader Giorgi Vashadze said opposition parties would not enter the new "illegitimate" parliament and voiced their joint demand for "fresh legislative elections" run by an "international election administration".
One of the demonstrators, university student Irine Chkuaseli, 19, said she had initially felt "hopeless" but since then has become "fired up to fight for the truth".
"We will not stop until these fake (election) results are cancelled," she said.
Speaking to AFP, Zurabishvili claimed that "quite sophisticated" fraudulent schemes were used in the weekend's vote.
She earlier declared the election results "illegitimate", alleging election interference by a "Russian special operation", a claim that was swiftly rejected by the Kremlin.
"It's very difficult to accuse a government, and that's not my role, but the methodology is Russian," Zurabishvili told AFP, adding that it was difficult to deal with a "threatening" Russia.
She claimed that the same identity cards were used to vote multiple times in different regions, that money was distributed outside polling stations, and that there were violations using electronic voting technology.
A group of Georgia's leading election monitors on Monday said that they had uncovered evidence of complex, large-scale fraud and demanded the annulment of at least 15 percent of votes cast.
Defying the EU's concerns over the vote, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- current holder of the bloc's rotating presidency and the Kremlin's closest EU associate -- arrived on Monday for a two-day visit to Tbilisi.
- 'Irregularities' -
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday insisted that EU membership remained a "main priority" for his party and said that he expected a "reset" with Brussels.
The result gave Georgian Dream 89 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the supermajority it had sought to pass a constitutional ban on all the main opposition parties.
The polls have prompted widespread international criticism.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken blasted "misuse of public resources, vote buying and voter intimidation", which he said "contributed to an uneven playing field".
An EU parliament mission said the vote was evidence of Tbilisi's "democratic backsliding", adding that it had seen instances of "ballot box stuffing" and the "physical assault" of observers.
A group of EU ministers released a joint statement condemning "the violation of international norms" in the elections, labelling them "incompatible with the standards expected from a candidate" to join the EU.
Germany and France also expressed "concerns" over electoral irregularities.
- Orban arrives -
Orban, who has retained ties to Moscow despite the 2022 Ukraine invasion, tweeted a message of support for the Georgian government on his arrival in Tbilisi.
"Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-Europe state. Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path," Orban wrote on X.
Later, emerging from his Tbilisi hotel, Orban faced jeers and shouts of "Go home!" from protesters, videos posted on social media showed.
He is set to hold a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart on Tuesday.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that Orban on this visit "does not represent" the bloc on foreign affairs.
Georgia was rocked in May by huge demonstrations against a law on "foreign influence", that critics said mirrored Russian legislation used to silence Kremlin critics.
The United States imposed sanctions on Georgian officials following the protests, while Brussels put EU-hopeful Tbilisi's accession process on halt.
im-am/bc
Mon 28 October 2024
Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators held a peaceful protest outside the main parliament building in central Tbilisi (Vano SHLAMOV) (Vano SHLAMOV/AFP/AFP)
Tens of thousands of Georgians protested in central Tbilisi on Monday after parliamentary polls denounced by the pro-Western opposition as "stolen", while Georgia's president alleged to AFP that the vote was rigged using "sophisticated" methods she linked to Russia.
The Caucasus country -- rocked by mass anti-government protests earlier this year -- has plunged into political uncertainty since Saturday's vote, with Washington and Brussels condemning "irregularities".
According to near-complete results announced by the electoral commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.92 percent, compared with the 37.78 percent garnered by a union of four pro-Western opposition alliances.
Georgian Dream has for months been accused by the opposition of steering Tbilisi away from its goal of joining the EU and back into Russia's orbit.
Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators held a peaceful protest outside the main parliament building in central Tbilisi on Monday evening that ended with calls for further rallies, AFP journalists saw.
Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the ruling party -- told the cheering crowd: "Your votes were stolen, but we will not let anyone steal our future."
"I promise to stand with you until the end, on our path towards Europe, where we belong," she said.
Opposition leader Giorgi Vashadze said opposition parties would not enter the new "illegitimate" parliament and voiced their joint demand for "fresh legislative elections" run by an "international election administration".
One of the demonstrators, university student Irine Chkuaseli, 19, said she had initially felt "hopeless" but since then has become "fired up to fight for the truth".
"We will not stop until these fake (election) results are cancelled," she said.
Speaking to AFP, Zurabishvili claimed that "quite sophisticated" fraudulent schemes were used in the weekend's vote.
She earlier declared the election results "illegitimate", alleging election interference by a "Russian special operation", a claim that was swiftly rejected by the Kremlin.
"It's very difficult to accuse a government, and that's not my role, but the methodology is Russian," Zurabishvili told AFP, adding that it was difficult to deal with a "threatening" Russia.
She claimed that the same identity cards were used to vote multiple times in different regions, that money was distributed outside polling stations, and that there were violations using electronic voting technology.
A group of Georgia's leading election monitors on Monday said that they had uncovered evidence of complex, large-scale fraud and demanded the annulment of at least 15 percent of votes cast.
Defying the EU's concerns over the vote, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- current holder of the bloc's rotating presidency and the Kremlin's closest EU associate -- arrived on Monday for a two-day visit to Tbilisi.
- 'Irregularities' -
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday insisted that EU membership remained a "main priority" for his party and said that he expected a "reset" with Brussels.
The result gave Georgian Dream 89 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the supermajority it had sought to pass a constitutional ban on all the main opposition parties.
The polls have prompted widespread international criticism.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken blasted "misuse of public resources, vote buying and voter intimidation", which he said "contributed to an uneven playing field".
An EU parliament mission said the vote was evidence of Tbilisi's "democratic backsliding", adding that it had seen instances of "ballot box stuffing" and the "physical assault" of observers.
A group of EU ministers released a joint statement condemning "the violation of international norms" in the elections, labelling them "incompatible with the standards expected from a candidate" to join the EU.
Germany and France also expressed "concerns" over electoral irregularities.
- Orban arrives -
Orban, who has retained ties to Moscow despite the 2022 Ukraine invasion, tweeted a message of support for the Georgian government on his arrival in Tbilisi.
"Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-Europe state. Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path," Orban wrote on X.
Later, emerging from his Tbilisi hotel, Orban faced jeers and shouts of "Go home!" from protesters, videos posted on social media showed.
He is set to hold a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart on Tuesday.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that Orban on this visit "does not represent" the bloc on foreign affairs.
Georgia was rocked in May by huge demonstrations against a law on "foreign influence", that critics said mirrored Russian legislation used to silence Kremlin critics.
The United States imposed sanctions on Georgian officials following the protests, while Brussels put EU-hopeful Tbilisi's accession process on halt.
im-am/bc
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