Georgian election results spark protests and political turmoil
The Georgian Election Commission confirmed the official results of the parliamentary elections on Saturday. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, reportedly received almost 54% of the votes. The opposition organized protests against these results in Tbilisi, where the commission chairman was splattered with paint.
3:03 PM EST, November 17, 2024
The official results of the elections held on October 26 in Georgia were announced on Saturday by the CEC. According to the election commission's statement, the Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012, won. The party secured 54% of the votes.
The ruling party secured 89 seats in the 150-member parliamentary assembly. The remaining 61 seats went to four opposition parties.
Unease in Georgia. The election commission announced the election results
The announcement of the results prompted Georgians to take to the streets, and tensions have risen since Friday. Parliament was set to adopt an "investment agreement" draft, but the session was canceled.
Protests erupted as demonstrators broke through the fence in front of the parliament with a vehicle, entered the grounds, and surrounded other government buildings. According to Echo of the Caucasus, a local branch of Radio Free Europe, protesters were met with smoke grenades or tear gas.
On Friday afternoon, after the protest began, the administration of the so-called president of Abkhazia announced it was preparing a document on withdrawing from the agreement with Russia in parliament. Civil.ge recalled that due to the delay in adopting these regulations, Moscow announced major funding cuts in the region it controls in September.
On Saturday, Aslan Bzhania, the leader of the unrecognized and Russian-supported separatist region of Abkhazia, announced his readiness to resign by submitting his resignation and calling for new elections. He set the condition that the protesters vacate the occupied government buildings in Sukhumi.
On Friday, Bzhania refused to resign from his position. Authorities denied rumors that the politician had left Sukhumi, heading to the area of the Russian military base.
For over 30 years, Abkhazia has remained outside the jurisdiction of Georgia's authorities. The separatist government of Abkhazia maintains that it is an independent state. The unilateral declaration of independence took place in 1992. Only a few countries recognize the independence of the region, including Russia, which recognized it in 2008 after a brief war with Georgia.
