What is happening in Georgia after the victory of the pro-Russia party

What is happening in Georgia after the victory of the pro-Russia party

The conflict continues over the elections in Georgia, which went to the vote on October 26 and ended up at the center of tensions between Western countries and Russia. While the Kremlin denies any influence on the electoral process, Brussels and Washington are insistently calling for checks on the alleged irregularities.

The country’s prosecutor’s office summoned the pro-EU president Salomè Zurabishvili after her accusations of fraud against Georgian Dream, the party already in government and also the winner in these latest legislative elections. A recount of ballots was also ordered at some polling stations. In this context, the EU must deal with yet another “out of place” visit by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who rushed to Tbilisi to congratulate Georgian Dream while thousands of people took to the streets to contest the government.

The investigation into the Georgia elections

The Georgian prosecutor’s office announced on October 30 the opening of an investigation into the “alleged falsification” of the country’s parliamentary elections. The president, Salomé Zurabishvili, was summoned to explain in detail her accusations of fraud against the ruling party, declared the winner of the vote. “The Georgian prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the alleged falsification of parliamentary elections,” the prosecutor’s office announced in a statement.

In the statement he added that the pro-EU leader “is likely to have evidence of a possible falsification of the elections”. The announcement comes four days after parliamentary elections in this small former Soviet republic in the Caucasus were marred by “irregularities”, as claimed by the pro-European opposition, the head of state and several European chancelleries.

Vote recount ordered from Tbilisi

According to the official results, the Georgian Dream party achieved a landslide victory, which was strongly contested by the opposition. In power since 2012, the winning party is accused by its detractors of pro-Russian authoritarianism. Following allegations of vote-rigging, a recount of votes was ordered at 14 percent of randomly selected polling stations across the country. The results of the ballot, which has been ongoing since October 29, are not yet known.

Western diplomacies also expressed their criticisms about the elections in Georgia. Brussels and Washington have explicitly asked Tbilisi to launch investigations into these allegations of “significant irregularities”. US President Joe Biden said on October 30 that he was “alarmed by the recent decline of democracy” in the country, calling on “the Georgian government to conduct a transparent investigation into all election irregularities.”

President Zurabishvili’s accusations

From the very evening of the vote, the opposition, led by Zurabishvili, denounced a “stolen” election, refusing to recognize the results proclaimed by the Election Commission. The politician accused Moscow of “vote buying” and “pressure” on voters. The Kremlin, for its part, rejected “unfounded accusations”, denying any interference in the electoral process in Georgia.

Putin’s man who “took” Georgia collects centenary trees which he uproots from all over the world


Bidzina Ivanishvili, Putin’s man who “took” Georgia, collects centenary trees that he uproots from all over the world

https://europa.today.it/Unione-europea/Bidzina-Ivanishvili-georgia-alberi-centenari.html
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Russia has long been a very influential power in the region, also managing military bases in two separatist Georgian regions whose independence the Kremlin has recognized: Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Opponents of Georgian Dream have long accused the party of a dangerous rapprochement with Moscow, which distances the country from the objective enshrined in the Constitution of joining both the EU and NATO.

Putin’s man who “took” Georgia collects centenary trees which he uproots from all over the world

In the spring, the government enacted a law on foreign influence directly modeled on Russian legislation, which the Kremlin uses to repress both civil society and the opposition. Following this measure, Brussels froze the EU accession process, while the United States adopted sanctions against Georgian officials for their “brutal repression” of subsequent demonstrations. In the face of widespread criticism, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidzé assured voters that Tbilisi’s “main priority” remains “European integration.” During the election campaign, his party presented itself as the only one capable of sparing Georgia from the same fate as Ukraine, in a context of Russian-Western rivalry.

Moscow’s influence and Orban’s visit to Georgia

After the vote, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban rushed to Georgia, congratulating Georgian Dream on the victory and speaking of “free and democratic” elections. The Hungarian leader’s visit to Tbilisi immediately became the subject of a controversy with other EU member states. Brussels did not appreciate Orban’s statement, given that Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, which will last until the end of the year. This is yet another “out of place” visit, after those to China and Russia which took place at the beginning of the Hungarian European semester.