Our live coverage of the aftermath of the Georgian parliamentary elections continues as some of the precinct results are annulled by a judge and the opposition continues its daily protests.

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.

Zakharova says Greta Thunberg’s attendance of Tbilisi protest exposes West’s ‘interference’ in Georgia

According to Russian state news agency TASS, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova yesterday said that climate activist Greta Thunberg’s participation in the protest against the parliamentary election results demonstrates how the West ‘exposed its interference in Georgia’s affairs’.

‘This would be truly funny if it were not so tragic how the West has exposed itself through its painful involvement in the situation surrounding the sovereign and independent state of Georgia’, she said.

At the time, Thunberg told OC Media during Monday’s protest that she was on the streets of Tbilisi to support the ‘fight for democracy’ in Georgia.

Greta Thunberg speaks to OC Media about COP29 at a protest against the Georgian election results in Tbilisi.

▶️ Georgia election live updates: https://t.co/5LHC9hz8Dj pic.twitter.com/mScJCynKBB

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) November 4, 2024

Zourabichvili: EU should have a clear and steady policy with Georgia

In a post on X, President Zourabichvili said that Europe should have a ‘clear and steady policy’ with Georgia in the face of ‘challenges to democracy’ posed by Russia.

The whole of Europe is calling with one voice for taking more responsability in its hands. The first challenge is Georgia: Europe must have a clear and steady policy and not accept challenges to democracy supported by Russia.

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) November 6, 2024

Gvaramia says opposition still collecting tents

Nika Gvaramia, from the opposition Coalition for Change group, stated that they still intended to use tents in protests. 

‘If anyone thinks that I stopped the issue of tents, they are very wrong. A lot of tents have been collected and are still being collected. This is not accidental, if you did not see me at several rallies, I have other work, we have divided roles both within our coalition and in the opposition’, he said according to IPN.

‘There is a lot to do and we all work in our own direction to coordinate these actions and make them as effective as possible’.

Read our summary of how the leaders of the South Caucasus reacted to Trump’s reelection

Our staff writers Shota Kincha and Aytan Farhadova have written about how Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan reacted to Donald Trump’s reelection as president of the US. You can find the link below. 

[Read more: The South Caucasus reacts to Trump’s reelection]

EU, European lawmakers release joint statement calling for sanctions against Georgian Dream officials, investigation into election

A group of lawmakers from the EU, as well as Moldova and Ukraine, released a joint statement on 6 November demanding Georgian Dream take a number of actions related to allegations of fraud in October’s parliamentary elections, as well as repeal laws widely seen as contributing to Georgia’s democratic backsliding. 

The group, consisting of lawmakers from 19 countries, along with members of the European Parliament, said allegations of electoral fraud ‘must be transparently investigated’. 

The group said voter information must be made publicly available, which is a demand also made by Georgian opposition parties. 

In addition to demands for investigations, the group called for sanctions on Georgian Dream officials, including the party’s honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as the freezing of EU funds directed toward Georgia. 

The EU’s visa-free regime for Georgians should also be ‘reexamined’, the group said, ‘without excluding the possibility of its full suspension’. 

‘We will continue standing with the Georgian people and their European choice. We will also continue supporting unwaveringly Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally established borders’, the statement concluded.

Opposition leaders meet with President Zourabichvili

Several opposition leaders have reportedly met with President Salome Zourabichvili.

According to IPN, Ana Dolidze, one of the leaders of the opposition group Strong Georgia, said the talks focused on ‘how we can strengthen the demand for an international investigation [and] what perspective it has in today’s situation’.

‘We continue to work to demand an international investigation, including with ambassadors, EU countries, and we continue to work to maintain the momentum of the protest’, she said.

WeVote says Prosecutor’s Office is investigating monitoring organisations instead of looking into election fraud

The local election observer coalition WeVote, a coalition of 29 NGOs, stated that the Prosecutor’s Office refuses to conduct a thorough investigation of the crimes revealed during the 26 October parliamentary elections and ‘instead has asked NGOs to investigate  the crimes’. The statement came after their representative Londa Toloraia, was summoned by the office and questioned in the court with the judge.  

According to WeVote, ‘the questions asked by the representatives of the prosecutor’s office during the interrogation of Londa Toloraia indicate that the purpose of the investigative body is not to obtain objective, timely information about the facts of the crime and effective investigation, but to strengthen the results announced by the CEC [Central Election Commission]’.

‘We call on the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate election fraud, not the activities of monitoring organisations’, the statement said.

Judge allegedly allied with Georgian Dream oversees election cases Appeals Court 

According to Publika, a panel of judges, including Dimitri Gvritishvili, is overseeing cases involving alleged election irregularities in Tbilisi’s Appeals Court. 

NGOs have referred to Gvritishvili as a member of the so-called ‘Clan of Judges’, a group allied with the ruling Georgian Dream party that has deliberately stalled judicial reform.

According to local media, Gvritishvili was requested by NGO lawyers to be removed from the trial, but the request was not granted.

Demonstrators put dozens of stickers on gate in front of Appeals Court

Demonstrators in front of the Appeals Court, who are gathered to demand a fair review of appeals related to Georgia’s parliamentary election on 26 October, put dozens of stickers on gates of the court. The stickers had various statements, including, ‘Get your freedom back’, ‘[it] was stolen! [It] was rigged! Do not tolerate it!’ and ‘Rebel against the Russian regime!’

Appeals Court reverses decision of Gori District Court on invalidated ballots

According to local media, the Appeals Court did not concur with the lawsuits of the election watchdog ISFED, and reversed the decision of the Gori District Court on the recounting of invalid ballots from 15 electoral precincts.

On Monday, the judge of the Gori District Court satisfied the request of ISFED and instructed the precincts to recount the invalid ballots of 15 election precincts.

The Central Election Commission appealed the decision to the Appeals Court.

UNM and Khazaradze congratulate Trump 

The opposition party United National Movement [UNM] was quick to congratulate president elect of Republican nominee Donald Trump on his win in the US presidential election.

Mamuka Khazaradze from the opposition group Strong Georgia spoke about Trump’s win during the demonstration organised in part by the Georgian opposition in front of the appeals court in Tbilisi, where they demanded a fair review of appeals related to Georgia’s parliamentary election on 26 October.

‘I want to congratulate President Trump on his election victory. This is an expression of the will of the American people and this is their election [...] You will see what politics will be like. The policy will be like the American people’s support for Georgia. Presidents change, but their support and friendship [have] never stopped’, Khazaradze said according to IPN.

Zourabichvili and Kobakhidze congratulate Trump

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili congratulated Republican nominee Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election.

‘A strong [US]-our strategic partner and friend of 33 years – is needed now more than ever to support [Georgia’s] Euro-Atlantic integration, bolster regional security and stability, and safeguard our freedom & independence’, she posted on X.

Soon after Zourabichvili, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also congratulated Trump on his ‘decisive victory in the election’.

‘I am confident that President Trump’s leadership will  promote peace globally and in our region as well as ensure [a] restart in [US-Georgia] relations’, he posted on X.

Key updates from yesterday:

• Judge Vladimer Khuchua has annulled the results of the elections from ‘about 30’ precincts in Tsalka and Tetritskaro, citing a violation of voter secrecy at the voting stations there.
• Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the opposition Lelo party, has announced that he has been summoned by the Prosecutor’s Office as part of an investigation into alleged vote rigging. 
• Opposition organises protests outside Tbilisi’s Appeals Court, where hearings are ongoing on the potential annulment of some of the results
• US says it ‘won’t hesitate’ to use ‘additional measures’ to push back against Georgian Dream