Georgia’s opposition have vowed to launch a series of protests as part of a ‘resistance movement’ against the election results. 

 

Organised opposition demonstrations ends for the day

The protest march ended at the Palace of Sports, local media reported. At the end of the rally, according to the media, the leaders of the political groups called on the citizens to continue the demonstration tomorrow and suggested a gathering at the Appeals Court again at 11:00 in the morning.

Miller: US ‘won’t hesitate’ to use ‘additional measures’ 

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller  told reporters on Monday that the US stands by the Georgian people and that they ‘continue to look at whether there are additional measures that would be appropriate’ to signal its disagreement with the current trajectory of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

‘We have made clear that we support [Georgia’s] EU ambitions. We have made clear that we support their further integration with their Euro and Atlantic partners’, he said.

‘We have put, as you know, under review the – a significant amount of assistance that we provide to the government of Georgia and have suspended $95 million of that assistance because of steps that we have seen them take. And we will continue to look at whether there are additional measures that would be appropriate; and if so, we won’t hesitate to use them’, Miller said.

When asked if the US plans to sanction Georgian Dream honorary chair and the  party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, Miller declined to answer.

Lavrov on election results: ‘People of Georgia have made their choice’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the state-run media outlet RIA Novosti on Tuesday  ‘the people of Georgia have made their choice. We respect them’. 

In light of the results of the parliamentary elections, Lavrov also said Russia is ready to continue the process of normalisation of bilateral relations with Georgia. Lavrov further claimed the EU and US are trying to artificially frame the Georgian election as a choice between Russia and the West.

Opposition groups to renew protests outside the court at 11:00 tomorrow

Giorgi Vashadze, one of the leaders of the Unity — National Movement opposition party, called on the public to gather again outside the Tbilisi Appeals Court on Wednesday at 11:00, where hearings on the annulment of some of the election results are expected to resume at noon.

‘We need to send a very clear message directly to Bidzina Ivanishvili: the system is rotten, and the fish rots from the head. We won’t be dismantling this gate; we’ll be dismantling you,’ declared another opposition leader, Mamuka Khazaradze, as he spoke about Georgian Dream’s honorary chair. Khazaradze was referring to the yard of the Appeals Court office, which is secured with a lock and monitored by police officers  who are stationed inside.

The announcement was made shortly before protesters began marching along Tsereteli Avenue in Tbilisi’s Didube district.

For Georgia calls official investigation into voter fraud ‘a sham’

The opposition For Georgia party has cast doubt that the official investigation into voting irregularities is intended to actually uncover any real evidence.  

For Georgia reported that the court rejected their request for an urgent interim measure to protect voting data stored on the Central Election Commission (CEC) servers and voting machines. Following the 26 October parliamentary vote, For Georgia have argued that both contained critical evidence to prove vote manipulation and were thus in danger of being destroyed.

In its statement, For Georgia also described the investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office into the allegations of vote fraud as ‘sham’ to engineer a legal pretext for ‘seizing control’ over voter verification machines. The party emphasised that the Prosecutor’s Office launched the probe just one day after they had called on the CEC to make voting records for each voter available for verification on 29 October.

The party accused both agencies of acting in a ‘highly orchestrated manner’ to destroy ‘critical evidence’.

Iran’s President Pezeshkian congratulates Kobakhidze on electoral victory

The Iranian Embassy in Georgia published a statement from Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, congratulating him on the ‘successful conduct of the elections and the victory of the Georgian Dream party’.

‘I hope that this election, as an expression of the will of the Georgian people, will serve as a foundation for the progress and prosperity of the Georgian people’, Pezeshkian’s statement read.

Demonstrators gather by Tbilisi’s Court of Appeals in protest organised by opposition parties

Protesters gathered again on Tuesday in front of Tbilisi’s Court of Appeals for another demonstration organised by opposition parties. Members of several opposition groups, including Unity — National Movement, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia, and For Georgia, participated as well, demanding the annulment of the  election results and the calling for snap elections. Despite last minute venue and time change, attendees said more people are continuing to arrive.

Shortly before the gathering, most of the appeals hearings scheduled for 15:00 today were reportedly consolidated and postponed until tomorrow. 

The rally is taking place under a heavy police presence.

15:05 - The people are just coming ahead of the Court of Appeals. Seems like more is expected to arrive, although the quick place changing which is more far away from the center, the time and weather conditions. Here are some very light raining.#GeorgiaProtests pic.twitter.com/BZLQG1bNDZ

— László Róbert Mézes 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@LaszloRobMezes) November 5, 2024

 

Girchi announces its own rally

The opposition Girchi party (unrelated to Girchi - More Freedom, a member of the Coalition for Change alliance), which garnered 3% in the 26 October vote according to preliminary results,  announced that it scheduled a demonstration for Saturday in Tbilisi to demand snap elections. Based on new parliamentary rules, only parties that receive more than 5% of the vote will receive mandates. Although strongly critical of other pro-Western political groups, the party shares the stance that the 26 October vote was neither free nor fair, and has focused on the  violation of secrecy as a confirmed major irregularity.

Opposition leaders ‘summoned’ by the Prosecutor's Office

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. Khazaradze wrote on his Facebook page that he intends to be interviewed only in front of a magistrate judge.

Also today, the local media reported that Zurab Girchi Japaridze, head of Girchi — More Freedom party, has been similarly summoned by the Prosecutor’s Office.

Japaridze has not reportedly specified if he plans to show up for the interview.

Judge annuls results from 30 precincts citing voter secrecy violations

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.

‘Everything requested by the non-governmental organisations was cancelled. There were about 30 polling stations. The court confirmed that confidentiality was violated’, he told IPN.

It is unclear which precincts Khuchua annulled or how many votes this decision will affect. Georgian Dream received 71.55% in Tsalka’s 39 precincts and 66.937% in Tetriskaro’s 40 precincts.

Opposition postpones protest and changes venue

Nika Melia, a leader of the opposition group Coalition for Change, has written on Facebook that the opposition was gathering for a protest in front of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals instead of the Sports Palace. They will gather there at 15:00.

They initially announced their intention to hold a demonstration at the Sports Palace at 14:00.

Key events from yesterday:

• Thousands have marched from Tbilisi’s Station Square to Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament to protest the election results. 
• The leaders of the opposition have vowed to organise more protests.
• Georgian Dream were accused of omitting Abkhazia and South Ossetia from a map of Georgia displayed during a presentation given by Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili. The party has said that the outlines of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the map were of a fainter, different colour, and that they were not visible to cameras.