Georgian police flooded the streets of Tbilisi on Monday to secure the parliament building amidst protests following last month’s election.
The protests were sparked by claims of election fraud, with the opposition accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of vote rigging and Russian interference, though the party won nearly 54% of the vote. Despite the Central Electoral Commission’s official ratification of the results, opposition groups, backed by liberal, pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili, refused to accept them.
Late Sunday, demonstrators, waving EU flags and banners criticizing the ruling party, staged a sit-in in central Tbilisi, vowing to disrupt the parliament’s first session. In response, several hundred police officers were deployed, along with water cannons and tow trucks, to prevent the protesters from blocking the building. The Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a stern warning, stating that blocking key government buildings could lead to criminal charges.
While the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe assessed the election positively, finding no major violations, the opposition remained defiant. With the Georgian Constitution requiring the new parliament to convene within ten days, Zourabichvili has hinted at potentially refusing to convene it, and opposition parties have rejected their seats, demanding a new vote.
