The Georgian parliament will approve the government despite protests by the opposition, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Oct. 27 as his party declared victory in the elections.The country’s electoral commission said that the ruling Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party won 54% of the vote, dashing hopes of the pro-EU opposition.Georgian opposition refused to recognize the result and said the election was stolen, pointing to election monitors reporting various violations across the country, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.According to official results, the opposition parties and coalitions that crossed the 5% threshold included the Coalition for Change (10.9%), United National Movement (UNM, 10.1%), Strong Georgia (8.8%), and Gakharia For Georgia (7.8%).Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the chair of the opposition Gakharia For Georgia party, said that the announced results “do not reflect the will of the Georgian people” and called for “reasonable forms of protest” to “defend the European future” of the country. Anna Dolidze of the Strong Georgia Coalition said that “we (will) fight to protect the democratic and European choices of the Georgian people.” A group of local observers demanded that the results be annulled due to alleged cases of electoral fraud. These included violations of voter confidentiality, threats, obstruction of observers and other transgressions. Kobakhidze, speaking at a post-election press conference, dismissed the opposition protests as an “eager attempt to justify itself in front of its voters.” The highly anticipated elections will be pivotal for Georgia. The ruling party has watched the South Caucasus nation drift closer to Moscow, hampering Georgia’s EU aspirations. Tbilisi was accused of democratic backsliding after the adoption of controversial legislation – the foreign agents law that targets NGOs and independent press. The ruling party also said it would seek a ban on UNM, founded by former president Mikheil Sakaashvili, as well as a constitutional ban. On October 20, a week before the election, a large rally was held in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square in support of Georgia’s accession to European Union. [embedded content]
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