Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili spoke with DW on why she does not recognize the election results. Zourabichvili also stated that the results do not reflect Georgia's general pro-European stance.
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00:00Yes, once again, I am joined by the President of Georgia, Salome Sarabesvili.
00:04Thank you for taking your time to talk to us.
00:06Once again, international observers have reported several concerns about the election process
00:11but have not gone as far as calling the outcome fraudulent.
00:15Why do you still not recognize the election results?
00:18Well, first of all, the international observer missions do not condemn the legality of elections
00:24so close to the elections.
00:26They still have a lot to receive as information.
00:30Our own local observers have been very clear about the amount of incidents and the information
00:38I have received about the sophistication and the numerous forms of frauds that have been
00:46used drives me to have made the declaration that I made yesterday.
00:52Because the results go against the long trend of all the opinion polls that we have had
00:58in this country, especially since the Russian law and the protests on the streets that show
01:04that the population wants to keep its European pass and was supporting the pro-European forces.
01:11So this is an election that has been stolen and I think that the Georgian people on the
01:16streets will confirm this judgment.
01:20The Georgian Dream Party has been ruling alone but now it has to form a coalition.
01:26The opposition says it won't work together with Georgian Dream.
01:30Won't the opposition, wouldn't the opposition have more leverage on working with the Georgian
01:35Dream Party?
01:36You're kidding, I think.
01:38First of all, there is no intention of the Georgian Dream to form a coalition with anyone.
01:44They have a majority.
01:45They had hoped for the constitutional majority and I think that explains the extent of the
01:51violations that they were aiming at having 60% in order to carry on their program, which
01:59is to first impeach the president, then put the opposition forces in jail and judge some
02:07of the opposition parties.
02:09I don't think that it's a program for a coalition.
02:12The coalition was a program of the pro-European forces.
02:15I was intending to form, together with the four pro-European parties, a technical government
02:23in order to facilitate the beginning of this coalition.
02:27That chance was not given by the ruling party, who would have kept in any circumstances a
02:3430% position in the parliament and would have been a democratic opposition force.
02:40That's not the path they choose.
02:42They have chosen dictatorship and not democracy.
02:47The capital, Tbilisi, has remained calm since the election.
02:50Now you are calling for protests.
02:53What makes you sure people will answer your call?
02:55Well, you'll be here tonight.
02:57We can look at it together.
02:59What do you hope to achieve with this protest?
03:01I don't hope to achieve anything.
03:03I've made my judgment clear.
03:05I think that it's the Georgian people that has to support this judgment because they
03:10are the ones that have seen their votes being stolen.
03:14They are the ones that are driven by force into a regime that will be more like Russia
03:20rather than like a European democratic country.
03:24The people are going to leave if that is not reversed and human rights and freedoms are
03:30going to be under great challenge.
03:32If peaceful protests don't achieve the goals, what then?
03:36Well, I cannot predict the future.
03:39I think that you do not always start protests and especially peaceful as it's the case in
03:44this country with being sure that you're going to achieve your aim.
03:51I think there are many different strategies.
03:54I think political parties are thinking about asking for renewed elections and probably
04:00with the support of our European partners so that we are sure that they are transparent
04:04and fair.
04:05They're also gathering more analysis of what has happened in order to really bring the
04:13testimonies in shape.
04:16So political parties will have to devise a strategy.
04:20I'm here to be, as long as I can, because that might not be forever, but to be the one
04:28independent institution in this country that will to the end fight this path towards dictatorship.
04:35The ruling party positions itself as the only force that can keep the peace with Russia.
04:41That's important to many Georgians who want to prevent a war like in Ukraine.
04:46What would you say to those people?
04:48I would say to those people that there is no Georgian that wants a war because we have
04:53known more than one war, not only with Russia, but essentially in the last two centuries
04:59with Russia.
05:01So that's a common concern, I would say, of the whole population.
05:06But we also know that the only country that can start war is Russia and that the only
05:11thing that can protect this country from war is internal stability, it's democracy and
05:17it's its path towards Europe.
05:19What's at stake for Georgia right now?
05:21Its future.
05:23And what do you expect from the EU in this situation?
05:26What specific steps do you want to see from Brussels, Madam President?
05:30I think Brussels has to be very clear, as it was after the Russian law, about what it
05:36was asking from this government to deliver, the recommendations that were made by the
05:41European Commission, the rejection of all the Russian laws, and to hold free and fair
05:49elections.
05:50I think the government has not delivered on any of these promises, or not promises, and
05:58as on the contrary, as electoral promise promised to arrest opposition leaders, to constrain
06:06the civil society, and to put under control the media.
06:10I don't think that it's something that is acceptable by European partners.
06:14And the very last question, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is coming tonight.
06:18Hungary currently holds the presidency of the European Council.
06:21Orbán has already congratulated the Georgian dream on its election and victory.
06:27What's your take on his visit?
06:29I don't think he has any mandate from the European Union, and I think that it's very
06:34clear for the Georgian population that he's very politically aware that if he comes, he
06:40only comes as a friend of the current ruling majority in a new attempt to psychologically
06:47impress the population.
06:49But we are more resilient than that.
06:51Salome Zarabeshvili, the President of Georgia, thank you very much, Madam President.