Tens of thousands of Georgians, many of them draped in EU and Georgian flags gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on Monday night, in response to a

Georgians join mass rally as president urges protest at 'rigged vote'

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2024-10-28 19:30:03

Tens of thousands of Georgians, many of them draped in EU and Georgian flags gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on Monday night, in response to a call from the pro-Western president to press for the annulment of Saturday's election.

Salome Zourabichivili, who has sided with the opposition, had earlier called for a rally outside parliament, telling the BBC's Steve Rosenberg that this was a "crucial moment".

She appealed to the international community to stand behind her country's population after a disputed election that she says was "totally falsified".

The ruling Georgian Dream party and the election commission are adamant the result, giving the government almost 54% of the vote, was free and fair.

Zourabichvili said Georgia's partners needed to see what was happening, adding that the government's victory was "not the will of the Georgian people" who wanted to keep their European future.

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has told the BBC that alleged violations ahead and during the vote were confined to "just a couple" of polling stations.