CIVICUS discusses Georgia’s election results with Eduard Marikashvili, human rights defender and executive director of the Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI), an independent organisation working for democratic development and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Thousands protested in the capital Tbilisi on 28 October following the announcement of parliamentary election results widely seen as fraudulent in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party. According to preliminary official results, the pro-Russian party won 54 per cent of the vote, with opposition pro-western parties winning 38 per cent. International observers reported numerous cases of voter intimidation and ballot stuffing. Independent President Salome Zourabichvili joined the opposition in denouncing widespread irregularities, which she likened to a Russian special operation. The European Union has called for further investigations into possible election interference.
