Political Unrest in Georgia Due to Elections

 

In a major development, the Georgian opposition has called for mass protests after a highly controversial parliamentary election, in which the ruling Georgian dream party claimed to win a majority of 54% votes. This has had serious allegations of electoral malpractice and thus the European Union is calling for an urgent investigation into the allegations.

President Salome Zurabishvili has sounded the alarm that it was Moscow that engineered the election rigging as a component of the special operation entitled “Russian special operation." This has further dredged issues on the extent of Georgia's democracy and her ambitions of becoming a member of the European Union. The election results have generated a fruitful discourse on what the political prognosis for this country and its pro-Western orientation will be.

International observers have reported various irregularities during the elections, including incidents of vote buying and intimidating voters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke on the issue stating, and asserting there were credible allegations of vote buying. As violence looms, since some time ago, former president Mikheil Saakashvili called the members of opposition political forces to leave the parliament and take the streets in order to protect democracy.

Those who believe in Georgia’s democracy are being urged to take up arms against the current injustices as the situation does not call for unarmed peaceful actions. How the political crisis is resolved will not only affect Georgia's domestic politics but also influence Georgia's external relations with Europe and the west.