Georgia: activists remain on the streets of Tbilisi, promise “not to move until new elections”

After 30 hours of protests, activists continue to remain on the streets of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. They promised “not to budge until new parliamentary elections are held,” local media reported.

At the same time, the president of the country, Salome Zurabishvili, who supports the demonstrators, said that she would file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to challenge the announced results of the vote.

At a rally outside Tbilisi State University on November 18, organizers said the action would continue until at least 8:00 p.m. the next day. They prepared hot food and drinks and lit a fire to keep warm in the tents.

President Zurabishvili, students and the opposition claim that the October 26 parliamentary elections were falsified. The official results showed that the pro-Russian party “Georgian Dream” won the majority and the fourth term.

“It’s not because I believe in the Constitutional Court – we all know that no institution in this country is independent anymore, and we have repeatedly received evidence of this. But it should be a sign that no legal dispute in the country should go unaddressed, and that judges should be able to openly demonstrate their “conscience,” she added.

The November 17 manifesto states that “the government’s systematic falsification of elections shows a gross attempt by the Georgian Dream party to seize control of the state.”

On the evening of November 17, after the rally, protesters set up about 30 tents near Tbilisi State University. Blankets, rugs and hot tea were distributed to the participants of the action, bio-toilets were brought. The night passed peacefully: the oppositionists were not dispersed, now they are talking, watching movies and dancing. The authorities and the police have not yet made any statements.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the official winner of the elections, the Georgian Dream party, announced on November 17 that the first session of the parliament will be held on November 25, “despite the opposition of forces controlled from outside.” Kobakhidze is sure that sooner or later all oppositionists will come to terms with defeat in the elections and start working in the parliament.

Elections to the Parliament of Georgia were held on October 26. Officially, they were defeated by the powerful “Georgian Dream”, which won 53.9% of the votes. Four more opposition parties also passed the 5% threshold. All of them refused to recognize the election results and to enter the parliament. The opposition is holding protests.