03 December 2018, 11:00
Vashadze announces protest action on Zurabishvili's inauguration day
If the authorities refuse to negotiate, on December 16, the inauguration day of the newly elected President of Georgia, the opposition will stage a mass rally, members of the Alliance "Strength in Unity" stated at an action in Tbilisi on December 2.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that following the results of the second round of the presidential election held on November 28, candidate Salome Zurabishvili, supported by the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party, won. Grigol Vashadze, an opponent of Salome Zurabishvili, and the alliance "Strength in Unity" which promoted him refused to recognize the victory of Salome Zurabishvili.
The opposition claimed large-scale electoral fraud. Grigol Vashadze and Mikhail Saakashvili, the leader of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party, called on their supporters to come to a rally on December 2.
The opposition demands extraordinary parliamentary elections in the country, since the presidential election held under massive pressure on voters, intimidation and bribery of them has virtually deprived them of the right to the freedom of expression, Grigol Vashadze, the presidential candidate from the "Strength in Unity", has stated, stressing that in such conditions the "Georgian Dream" Party has no political and moral right to remain in power.
"It was a criminal-terrorist operation undertaken against the Georgian people," Mr Vashadze said in his comment on the outcomes of the second round of the presidential election.
According to Grigol Vashadze, the rally on December 2 gathered only a part of supporters of the United National Movement (UNM), since the party did not announce the "general mobilization." "We'll announce it when necessary," he has noted.
According to UNM activists, the rally was about 9000 strong.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 2, 2018 at 08:15 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Inna Kukudzhanova Source: CK correspondent
