Protests in Georgia as poll commission confirms pro-Russia ruling party’s win

Georgians took the streets again on Saturday after the country’s poll commission rubber-stamped the ruling party’s victory in last month’s disputed parliamentary elections, according to media reports.
The Caucasus country’s pro-Western opposition has denounced the Oct. 26 vote. Opponents led by Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili have claimed that the vote was flawed and have dismissed the official results as illegitimate, while the EU and the U.S. have called for an investigation into alleged electoral irregularities amid claims of Russian meddling.
Hundreds of opposition supporters staged a rally outside the poll commission’s headquarters, the latest in a series of protests against the disputed results since the balloting, according to the reports. The head of Central Electoral Commission was doused with black paint during an unruly session as protesters gathered outside.
Many Georgians viewed the vote as a pivotal referendum on the country’s effort to join the EU. Granted candidate status last year, Georgia saw its EU accession process halted over the summer after ruling party Georgian Dream passed a slew of Russian-style legislation targeting Western-backed NGOs and cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the vote in Georgia at a meeting on Monday. According to one diplomat, the two main options under consideration will be either to boost support for Georgia’s civil society or impose sanctions against the government.
The electoral commission said on Saturday that pro-Russia Georgian Dream won 53.93 percent of the vote, against 37.79 percent garnered by an alliance of pro-Western opposition groups.
The protests in Georgia are taking place after protesters on Friday stormed the parliament of the Moscow-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia and demanded the resignation of its leader over an unpopular investment agreement with Moscow.
The self-styled president of the region, Aslan Bzhania, said he had no intention of stepping down. He said talks were proceeding with opposition representatives.
But opposition representatives rejected the president’s statement and news reports said they had broken off the talks.