"I am confident that President Trump’s leadership will promote peace globally and in our region as well as ensure restart in U.S.-Georgia relations," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on X.
While this represents only a small number of polling stations across the country, the authors of the complaint – Georgian Young Lawyers' Association – said the ruling sets a precedent for better protection of voting secrecy rights.
Thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside Georgia's parliament on Nov. 4 for the second consecutive Monday, protesting the Oct. 26 election, which they allege was rigged with Russian assistance to favor the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Two U.S. pollsters, commissioned by Georgian opposition forces, are questioning the official results of the Oct. 26 parliamentary election, which declared the ruling Georgian Dream party victorious.
In Georgia’s 2012 election, then-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s pro-Western party was defeated by Georgian Dream, a party led by the Russian-backed oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. Though widely hailed at the time as a democratic triumph, astute observers warned against celebrating. One such observer was Georgia’s former economy minister, the
During a press conference in Tbilisi, President Salome Zourabichvili presented footage purportedly showing ballot violations. "It is not the President's responsibility to provide evidence that already exists within society."
The European Commission singled out the recent legislative amendments to the election process, frequent compromises on vote secrecy, procedural inconsistencies, intimidation, and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process.
The office summoned President Salome Zourabichvili for Oct. 31 as part of the investigation. The president refused to acknowledge the result, calling it a "Russian special operation" and urged voters to protest.
Georgia's Oct. 26 parliamentary election presented a clear geopolitical choice for the country’s voters, but criticism is mounting that the ruling regime stole the vote. After years of vacillating between the West and Russia and paying lip service to European integration, the country's ruling Georgian Dream party began to
"I would like to congratulate you on the fact that... you have not allowed your country to be turned into a second Ukraine," Viktor Orban said at a press briefing with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Kobakhidze.
Georgia has descended into political turmoil that is set to shape the country for years to come. Although exit polls indicated that the pro-European opposition coalition would win the Oct. 26 parliament elections, the official results paint a different picture. The Central Election Commission announced on the evening of Oct.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged "Georgia’s political leaders to respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together."
"These elections cannot be recognized. This is the same as recognizing Georgia's subordination to Russia. ... No one can take away Georgia's European future."
"During our observation, we noted the cases of vote buying and double voting before and during elections, especially in rural areas," said Ioan Bulai, the head of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the chair of the opposition Gakharia For Georgia party, said that the announced results "do not reflect the will of the Georgian people" and called for "reasonable forms of protest" to "defend the European future and the institution of elections."
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party captured 54.3% of the vote in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election, with over 99% of precincts counted, according to the country's central electoral commission.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, and opposition groups aiming to end the party’s 12-year rule declared victory on Oct. 26.
Footage surfaced earlier on Oct. 26 of an individual stuffing the ballot box at the polling station in the southern Georgian city of Marnueli.
Nino Lomjaria, a lawyer and former ombudswoman, reported on Oct. 26 that an election observer was attacked while filming a ballot box being stuffed.
Czech journalist Ray Baseley was denied entry to Georgia without an explanation after arriving at Tbilisi airport on Oct. 22 to cover the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Key developments on Oct. 19-20: * Ukraine says it struck airfield and 'largest explosives factory' in Russia * Russian overnight missile strike on Kryvyi Rih injures 17 * Tens of thousands of Georgians rally in support of EU accession ahead of upcoming parliamentary election * Ukraine’s NATO membership on 'irreversible path,' G7
A large rally in support of Georgia's accession to the European Union was held in Tbilisi's Freedom Square on Oct. 20, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 26.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree on Oct. 10 expanding visa-free entry for Georgian citizens who are working or studying in Russia, as Moscow continues to cozy relations with Tbilisi amid concerns over the country's democratic backsliding.
Two years ago, a Georgian pro-Kremlin fringe channel aired a fabricated story featuring photoshopped images of several NGO representatives, including myself, in handcuffs at a fictional trial. This scenario, supposedly the result of a meeting between then-Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was laughable at the
Georgia and Ukraine have long been close. Witnessing revolutions that brought democratic pro-Western governments, both countries later witnessed a Russian military attack, in the Kremlin's attempt to pull both states back into Moscow's orbit. It now looks like in Georgia, 16 years after a brief war that left 20% of
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili highlights Georgia’s stalled EU accession, rising anti-Western rhetoric, and the ruling party’s troubling alignment with Russian interests, while affirming Georgian people’s support for Ukraine.
Last October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would strike Russia's Black Sea Fleet wherever it will be stationed — implying that could also include occupied parts of Georgia, where Russia has kept a garrison and is rumored to be constructing a naval base. "We will reach them everywhere," the president
"All options are on the table" if Georgia does not reverse its trend toward authoritarianism, "including the potential temporary suspension of the visa liberalization scheme," a spokesperson for the European Commission told Politico.
The de facto leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party stunned Georgians — who are rarely shocked by the turbulent political situation in the country — by declaring that Georgia should "apologize" for Russia's 2008 war against the country. Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili's statement on Sept. 14 was a campaign promise made ahead
The bills would ban gender transition, adoption by same-sex couples, and forbid gatherings or the distribution of information "aimed at promoting" LGBTQ relationships.
"Today's action underscores our concern about the consequences of anti-democratic actions in Georgia and efforts by key individuals to use violence and intimidation to achieve their aims," said Treasury official Bradley Smith.
Kobakhidze called the creation of the state fund a "step towards" NGOs and media, which allegedly risk losing funding from international donors if the law is followed.
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