Opposition coalition protests election results
Ex-President Saakashvili who has called on supporters to start a ‘civil disobedience movement’, has joined the meeting via Skype call. Photo: 1tv.ge
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The Strength in Unity opposition coalition does not recognise the results of the elections held on November 28 and demands snap parliamentary elections.
The Georgian Dream ruling party endorsed presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili received 59.52 per cent of the vote and became the first woman president elected in Georgia and the region.
Opposition coalition candidate Grigol Vashadze was supported by 40.48 per cent of voters.
“We do not recognise these elections and its results. Georgia does not have a president, Bidzina Ivanishvili has a president,” Grigol Vashadze said at a meeting with supporters in Tbilisi last night.
The opposition coalition has demanded earlier parliamentary elections and announced a protest rally on Sunday on Rustaveli avenue in Tbilisi.
Ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili who has been actively involved in the election campaign of Grigol Vashadze from abroad called on UNM supporters to start a ‘civil disobedience movement’ as soon as the exit polls by Imedi TV and Rustavi 2 private broadcasters were released on November 28, both saying that the Georgian Dream ruling party endorsed presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili has won the elections.
He made the statement via Facebook live and also joined the meeting of the opposition coalition yesterday via Skype call.
A Georgian court has found Saakashvili guilty for abuse of power over the high-profile murder case of Sandro Girgvliani in 2006 and sentenced him to three years in prison in absentia. He was also sentenced to six years in prison in absentia for exceeding official powers, violence and deliberate damage to health over the high profile violence case against opposition lawmaker Valeri Gelashvili. Saakashvili was also banned from taking any state post for two years and three months.
The Georgian Central Election Commission has released the final results of the presidential elections. The commission has stated that 100 per cent of votes have been counted. Zurabishvili received 1,147,627 votes, while Vashadze-780,633.
The Georgian Dream ruling party endorsed independent presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili, who based on exit polls has won the election, made her first comment and stated that her ultimate goal will be fighting for the reintegration of lost territories.
Tbilisi City Court has delivered a guilty verdict against former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili this morning. The court found Saakashvili guilty of abuse of power when pardoning people arrested for the 2006 case of the murder of Sandro Girgvliani.
France is ready to cooperate with Georgia’s newly elected president Salome Zurabishvili to strengthen relations between the two countries, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite have also congratulated Zurabishvili on her election as President of Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister has responded to a planned opposition rally on Sunday and stated that if anyone at the manifestation tries to create destabilization, they will be held accountable within the law.
The US embassy in Georgia has congratulated Georgian president-elect Salome Zurabishvili on her victory and made the assessments of the 28 November elections.
One Georgian and six Ukrainian citizens were detained in Tbilisi yesterday.Their weapons have been seized and the Georgian Interior Ministry is investigating possible links between the detainees and the current, post-election political situation in Georgia.
Opposition coalition Strength in Unity is protesting the results of the Georgian presidential election which resulted in the victory of pro-government candidate Salome Zurabishvili on Rustaveli Avenue.
Former opposition presidential candidate Grigol Vashadze has stated that the opposition will hold a “peaceful rally” in Telavi on 16 December, where the presidential inauguration ceremony will be held on the day.