The election campaign in the nation of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, was marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Crowds gathered in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Monday, October 28, to hear the President
00:05Salome Zorabishvili address the disputed election results together with the representatives
00:10of opposition parties.
00:12According to local journalists, people blocked the main Rustaveli Avenue in the capital ahead
00:17of the speech and the President told them that their votes were stolen.
00:21Zorabishvili rejected the victory of Georgian Dream earlier in the day and asked international
00:26partners to stand with Georgia, calling the elections illegitimate.
00:30Through the new proportional representation system, the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream
00:34party retained its strong position and secured a majority of seats in the parliament.
00:39However, the four main opposition parties announced they did not recognize the results
00:43amid reports of voting violations.
00:46The election commission announced that the Georgian Dream took nearly 54% of the votes.
00:51The elections that took place on Saturday have been described in news reports as crucial
00:55for Georgia's path forward, determining whether the country will continue to pursue EU membership
01:01or move toward closer ties with Russia.