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The demonstrators claim that the country’s recent parliamentary elections were rigged and are demanding a rerun.
Georgia’s opposition and its supporters started round-the-clock protests on the streets of Tbilisi – calling for new parliamentary elections after voting they allege was tampered with. The protesters rejected the results of the country’s recent election amid allegations the vote was rigged, an accusation which ruling party Georgian Dream denies. Demonstrators blocked one of the capital’s central streets on Sunday, vowing to remain there until their demands are met. European election observers have described the Georgian parliamentary elections as taking place in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence. The newly elected parliament’s first session is scheduled to take place on 25 November, but members of opposition parties have announced their intent to boycott it. Many Georgians viewed the vote as a pivotal referendum on the country’s effort to join the European Union. The bloc suspended Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely in June after the country’s parliament passed a “foreign influence law” that critics say mimics Moscow’s crackdown on civil society. Critics have accused the ruling Georgian Dream, established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. It has recently adopted laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights. Speaking during a Cabinet session on Monday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, stated that “weakening the radical opposition” was one his government’s key tasks.” “We are dealing with people without a homeland, whose weakening is solely beneficial for the development of our country and state,” he said.
