The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, has resisted the call from state prosecutors to provide evidence supporting her claims of electoral fraud connected to the recent parliamentary elections. During a press conference shortly after she was summoned by the Prosecutor-General’s Office on October 30, Zurabishvili advised these officials to concentrate on their responsibilities instead of pursuing political reprisals.
“Rather than taking part in political retaliation against the president, I would recommend the prosecutor’s office to commence its work. Furthermore, it’s important to remember that our allies are observing whether the prosecutor’s office can maintain impartiality and independence,” stated Zurabishvili. She also declared her intention to continue serving her role without giving any updates to the prosecutor’s office.
The political landscape in Georgia is currently filled with tension, following accusations by Zurabishvili, opposition activists, and a large number of Georgia’s citizens, who took to the streets of Tbilisi to protest the election results. They are challenging the victory claim of the Georgian Dream party, which states it won almost 54 percent of the votes, alleging that the results were manipulated.
International monitors of the election declared that the voting process was tainted by an unfair competitive atmosphere, pressure, and tension. Additionally, U.S. President Joe Biden, on October 29, expressed serious concerns about the decline of democracy in Georgia and called for a thorough investigation into the allegations of voting fraud.
Opposition parties are demanding a re-run of the vote under international supervision, citing lack of transparency in the October 26 voting process.
Zurabishvili pointed out that the prosecutors’ summoning seemed to oddly coincide with comments from Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, who suggested on social media that the Georgian president should be “removed from office and arrested.”
“Evidence is not what the public expects from the prosecutor’s office, but rather an immediate investigation. Nobody anticipates the prosecutor’s office to initiate obvious political processes against the president in this situation,” she said.
There were also complaints from election observers regarding instances of vote buying, double voting, physical violence, and intimidation.
The Prosecutor-General’s Office stated that an investigation had been initiated following Zurabishvili’s declaration that the election was tainted by irregularities and her refusal to accept the results. The office has pledged to carry out “all necessary investigative and procedural actions.”
During her press briefing, Zurabishvili presented videos that allegedly showed the violations. The videos demonstrated alleged instances of the violation of voting secrecy and violence at polling stations.
The Georgian Dream party earlier this year, despite opposition and months of mass protests, succeeded in pushing through parliament a controversial law on “foreign influence” similar to Russia’s “foreign agent” law. Last month, legislation curtailing LGBT rights was also passed.
Zurabishvili, who has had disagreements with the Georgian Dream but has limited powers under the Georgian Constitution, urged the West to apply pressure on Tbilisi to ensure the country maintains its Western trajectory.
In recent years, Georgian Dream has been slowly steering the country away from the West, despite Georgia having gained EU candidate status in December 2023.
Following increasing international pressure, Georgia’s Central Electoral Commission announced on October 29 that it would recount votes at five randomly selected polling stations in each of Georgia’s 84 electoral districts.
