In response to accusations of fraud by the pro-European opposition, the Tbilisi election commission announced a partial recount of 14% of the votes. This came amid massive anti-government demonstrations on Monday evening, which prompted a response from the European Union and the United States, which demanded that the opposition’s allegations be verified. This was reported by AFP.
According to the information, a recount will be held at five polling stations in each constituency. Official results released by the Central Election Commission confirmed the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the parliamentary elections held on Saturday. However, different exit polls showed opposite results, which caused controversy.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Georgia’s political leaders to uphold the rule of law and address shortcomings in the electoral process. Meanwhile, the EU has also called for a swift and transparent investigation into alleged irregularities.
In the context of these events, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Georgia to express support for the government.
The opposition accuses the Georgian Dream of trying to bring the country closer to Russia rather than the EU and calls for demonstrations on the streets of Tbilisi. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili also accused the winner of using “sophisticated” fraudulent methods similar to those used in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, through his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, rejected the allegations, denying any interference in the electoral process in Georgia.
