Our coverage of the aftermath of the Georgian election continues, as the opposition gears up for a rally tonight at which they intend to announce their plans to fight the results of the elections.

We’re ending our live coverage for today. Our team is currently working overtime to shine a light on what is happening in Georgia, as the country grasps with what appears to be a rigged election. You can help us in this mission by becoming an OC Media member. Your support helps us to continue this work.

You can read our editorial on the overwhelming evidence of irregularities in Georgia's election here: Editorial | Georgia’s rigged election.

Greta Thunberg attends demonstration

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg told OC Media during the protest that she was on the streets of Tbilisi to support the ‘fight for democracy’ in Georgia.

She said she was basing her protest against COP29 in Georgia, because she was unable to go to Azerbaijan.

Protests march towards Baratashvili 

Mamuka Khazaradze, one of the leaders of the opposition group Strong Georgia, has called on protesters to march towards Baratashvili bridge through Baratashvili street. The street is home to several bus stops connecting major bus lanes throughout the city.

Opposition calls for ‘resistance’

At the demonstration outside parliament, opposition leaders have called for a campaign of ‘resistance’ and for people to come out to the streets to protest at a different location daily. They called on people to gather tomorrow at 14:00 at the Sports Palace.

The Sports Palace is a stone’s throw away from Heroes Square, a central intersection that protesters frequently blocked during the protests against the foreign agent law, though at that time usually late in evening.

Levan Tsutskiridze from the opposition Strong Georgia coalition presented the opposition’s three point plan.

‘If there is still anyone left in this country who believes that […Georgian] Dream justly won […], we must show everyone, we must make everyone understand that manipulation, that falsification, that machination, that Russian war plan that was performed by this government’, he said.

‘The second is that the democratic, civilised world should not recognise the results of these elections.’

‘The third is the most important […] It is resistance, it is civil activity, it is being outside not only on Rustaveli [Avenue], but everywhere we can, to gather and make our voices heard.’

Nika Melia from the opposition Coalition for Change said they must prevent the new parliament from opening.

Opposition demonstration begins in front of Parliament

Thousands of people have gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi where a demonstration by opposition groups, including Unity — National Movement, Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia, was scheduled to begin at 19:00.

Station Square march reaches Rustaveli Avenue

The march of opposition leaders from Station Square has reached Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s central thoroughfare and where the Georgian Parliament is located., blocking traffic.

Leaders of the opposition are expected to give speeches in front of the parliament building at 19:00 listing their further plans.

The marching crowd arrived to Rustaveli. #GeorgiaProtests pic.twitter.com/DO73AWvfZ3

— László Róbert Mézes 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@LaszloRobMezes) November 4, 2024

Khazaradze: ‘This resistance will continue’

Mamuka Khazaradze, from  the opposition group Strong Georgia, has stated ahead of tonight’s demonstration that ‘this resistance will continue today and in the days to come. Other regions of our country will also join this. Our future cannot be with the conqueror’, IPN reported.

‘This is everyone’s common business, every step will be directed at resistance. We should not allow the government to lead a normal and peaceful life’, he added.

Von der Leyen calls for ‘concrete actions’ from Georgia’s leadership

Following a call with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that the situation following Georgia’s parliamentary elections ‘remains concerning’ and called on Georgia’s leadership to take ‘concrete actions’ in order to keep on the path towards the EU. 

Just spoke to President @Zourabichvili_S

The situation following the elections remains concerning.

If Georgia wants to keep a strategic orientation towards the EU, we need concrete actions from the leadership.

Our enlargement report shows the way.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 4, 2024

Tbilisi City Court rejects opposition lawsuit

According to local media, Tbilisi City Court did not satisfy the lawsuit of  opposition group Coalition Strong Georgia, by which they demanded the publication of the voter list loaded into electronic devices for the 26 October parliamentary elections.

One of the leaders of Coalition for Change, Ana Dolidze, said that the information requested in the lawsuit would help them to find out whether a particular voter was in the precinct and whether someone else voted instead, media reported.

Opposition march from Station Square begins 

People have started gathering at Station Square in preparation of marching to the Parliament of Georgia to join the demonstration organised by opposition groups, including Unity — National Movement, Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia.

At 19:00, the opposition will begin their rally in front of the parliament building, where they have promised to announce their future plans.

The opposition blames the ruling Georgian Dream party for falsifying the parliamentary elections process and results.

17:23 - One crowd is gathering in Station Square, from where a march will start with the opposition leaders up front, heading to Rustaveli. The protests are starting again (or continuing) in Georgia. 🇬🇪🇪🇺🌟#GeorgiaProtests #GeorgiaStolenElections #GeVote2024 pic.twitter.com/goEyxNkiU2

— László Róbert Mézes 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@LaszloRobMezes) November 4, 2024

Riot police mobilised

Swedish journalist Rasmus Canbäck has filmed riot police buses moving in the direction of Georgia’s Parliament building in Tbilisi.

Incoming riot police as always. Went to the State Security Service. pic.twitter.com/Z1lBhiC2yz

— Rasmus Canbäck (@CanbackRasmus) November 4, 2024

Kaladze suggests Zourabichvili ‘get off her [ass]’ and testify at Prosecutor’s Office

Tbilisi’s Mayor and Georgian Dream's General Secretary, Kakha Kaladze, has called on President Salome Zourabichvili to respond to the summons by the Prosecutor's Office related to its investigation into alleged vote rigging in the 26 October parliamentary elections. Speaking to journalists today, Kaladze reportedly urged Zourabichvili to ‘do the decent thing, get off her [ass], go, and answer all the questions, and present the evidence’, following her recent refusal to cooperate with the inquiry, which she dismissed as ill-intentioned.

Georgian Dream accused of omitting Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia map

Our staff writer Shota Kincha has written about a recent presentation given by Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili about his party’s deployment of specially appointed delegates to electoral districts throughout Georgia, which included a slide apparently depicting a map of Georgia excluding Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The use of such maps was made illegal in 2020, and violations are punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison.

The ruling Georgian Dream party has argued that the outlines of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were fainter in colour and were not visible to cameras.

Sandu posts in support of Georgia’s European future

The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, who was reelected yesterday, has called on Georgians to ‘stand strong’, emphasising that Moldova supports the country’s European path. 

Yesterday, Moldovans took a crucial step forward on our European path. But the fight for democracy in Moldova—and across our region—continues.

To the people of Georgia: I admire your resilience and determination to build a free, European future. Stand strong—Moldova is with you.

— Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd) November 4, 2024

Opposition leaders summoned to Prosecutor’s Office

Natia Mezvrishvili, one of the leaders of the opposition party For Georgia, has posted on Facebook that she was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office based on an appeal by the Central Election Commission (CEC) in the case of alleged fraud in the parliamentary elections.

According to Mezvrishvili, until the Prosecutor’s Office begins an investigation based on the evidence ‘identified by us’ — which, according to her, points to violence, threats, and corruption in order to falsify the elections — she is not going to appear at the investigative agency.

In addition, Mezvrishvili said that ‘as for this bogus investigation, if you can’t do it without me [...] you know the way of a judge’, meaning that she will only give testimony in the presence of a judge.

Around half an hour after Mezvrishvili, Londa Toloraia, the representative of the local election observer coalition WeVote, a coalition of 29 non-governmental organisations, posted on Facebook stating that she was also summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office. She added she was not going to show up at the agency.

‘If the information I provide is really important to this agency [...] I will go to court, where at least one more person will hear how inactive the Prosecutor’s Office was during this entire period’, she stated.

Zourabichvili shames diplomats for staying silent

On Sunday, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili posted on Facebook addressing diplomats in Georgia, saying that she cannot congratulate them on the Day of Georgian Diplomacy. She additionally criticised Georgian diplomats for staying silent during the Georgian government’s ‘subversion of the long-awaited European path’ and their ‘steps taken towards Russia’.

‘I cannot congratulate you on the Day of Diplomacy!’, she posted. ‘If you don’t dare to resign, you can’t even raise your voice, or express a different opinion, what are you left with? Are you so afraid?’ Zourabichvili asked the diplomats.

Zourabichvili criticises voter suppression of Georgian diaspora

President Salome Zourabichvili has cited the Moldovan elections as ‘the best “evidence” ’ that the Georgian elections were ‘stolen’, comparing the effect of diaspora votes. 

Moldovan elections are the best “evidence” of stolen Georgia’s elections: despite similar Russian interference and massive rigging, Moldova was saved by 300.000 diaspora voters… our 1000.000 strong diaspora was barred. only 34 000 were “allowed” to vote.

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) November 4, 2024

WeVote demands CEC officials be held legally accountable

WeVote, a coalition of 29 non-governmental organisations, has demanded the Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Giorgi Kalandarishvili, his deputy, Giorgi Sharabidze, and the Secretary of the CEC, Giorgi Javakhishvili, be held legally accountable for falsifying the election results.

The representative of WeVote, Londa Toloraia, stated at a briefing that those listed above played important roles in the implementation of the large-scale scheme of falsification by the ruling Georgian Dream party in the 26 October parliamentary elections.

‘We appeal to the Prosecutor’s Office to start an investigation into the fact of the commission of an official crime by the CEC representatives’, she said.

Opposition leader announces plans to march from Station Square 

According to IPN, one of the leaders of the opposition group Coalition for Change, Nika Melia, told journalists today that at 17:00, they will organise a march from Station Square to Rustaveli Avenue along different routes. At 19:00, the groups, including Unity — National Movement, Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia, have planned a rally on Rustaveli Avenue.

US Congressperson calls for sanctions against Ivanishvili 

US Republican Congressperson Joe Wilson has called the founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, a ‘Russian puppet’, and demanded that he be sanctioned by the US.

Russian puppet Bidzina Ivanishvili is turning Georgia into a dictatorship, working hand in glove with Putin. The United States must finally sanction him, as @SpeakerJohnson and I called for in 2020 as part of the RSC National Security Strategy

— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) November 2, 2024

Editorial | Georgia’s rigged election

Read our editorial on Georgia’s rigged elections and what it could mean for the country’s democratic future

Significant amounts of evidence have emerged pointing to a wide variety of electoral irregularities before, during, and in the days that followed Georgia’s parliamentary election on 26 October. In light of this evidence, OC Media has published an editorial declaring the election to be rigged in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party. It is not a step we take lightly.

Key events from the weekend

• WeVote’s appeal to challenge the results from 246 polling stations was rejected. The local observer coalition claims that the decision affects a total of 417,305 registered voters.
• Voice of America quoted an anonymous US official from President Joe Biden’s administration as saying that the Georgian government should investigate electoral violation allegations through an independent mechanism.
• Nika Gvaramia, a leader of the Coalition for Change, has announced the mobilisation of ‘up to 50’ tents, suggesting a possible plan to use them in upcoming protests.
• A TV Pirveli show reported that the ruling party was behind a massive and coordinated effort to defraud the election results.