Thousands rally again in Georgia to protest the parliamentary election they say was rigged
Thousands of opposition supporters rallied outside Georgia’s parliament for the second straight Monday to denounce the Oct. 26 election as illegitimate after the ruling party was declared the winner amid allegations of vote-rigging helped by Russia
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Thousands of opposition supporters rallied outside Georgia's parliament for the second straight Monday to denounce the Oct. 26 election as illegitimate after the ruling party was declared the winner amid allegations of vote-rigging helped by Russia.
The protesters, who waved Georgian and European Union flags, demanded a new parliamentary election under international supervision and an investigation of the alleged ballot irregularities.
Opposition leaders vowed to boycott sessions of parliament and hold regular protests until their demands are met.
“We will not accept illegitimate elections; we will not recognize an illegitimate parliament," said Badri Japaridze, leader of the Lelo Strong Georgia Coalition. "We will not go to that parliament, and we will not let (the ruling party) Georgian Dream announce itself as the legitimate representative of the Georgian people, because they have stolen the elections. This is a special operation backed by Russia, where the future of the Georgian people has been stolen, and we will not accept that.”
