EU urges Georgia vote probe as ex-president calls for mass protests

EU chief Charles Michel on Sunday called for an investigation into election "irregularities" in Georgia after a disputed vote that showed a win for the ruling party accused of moving towards Russia's orbit.

Jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili called for mass protests to contest the result, with the pro-Western opposition denouncing the elections as "stolen".

The European Union had warned that Saturday's vote, seen as a crucial test of democracy in the Caucasus country, would determine Tbilisi's chances of joining the bloc.

Michel wrote on X that the authorities should "swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof.

"These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed," he said.

A group of international observers said Saturday's election was "marred by an uneven playing field, pressure and tension".

A mission from the EU parliament also expressed concern about "democratic backsliding", saying it had seen instances of "ballot box stuffing" and the "physical assault" of observers.

  'Fighting for freedom'  

The result sets the stage for a political showdown.

Georgia's jailed ex-president and opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili, who spearheaded the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, called on Sunday for mass anti-government protests to contest the result.

"Certainly, no one should enter parliament! Now is the time for mass protests. We must show the world that we are fighting for freedom and that we are a people who will not tolerate injustice," he said on Facebook.

Official tallies from more than 99 percent of precincts showed the ruling Georgian Dream party winning 54 percent of the vote, with the main pro-Western opposition union in second place with 37.58 percent.

The result gives Georgian Dream 91 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the supermajority it had sought to pass a constitutional ban on all main opposition parties.

"Our victory is impressive," Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a statement, accusing the opposition of "undermining the country's constitutional order" by questioning his party's victory.

The government said on Sunday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a staunch ally of the ruling party and the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, would visit Georgia on Monday.

Orban had rushed to congratulate Georgian Dream for an "overwhelming victory" on Saturday after one exit poll showed the government in the lead and before preliminary results had been published.

Another exit poll by US pollster Edison Research had projected an opposition victory by an 11-percent margin.

  EU hopes 'dimmed'   

Opposition parties said the vote was rigged and refused to recognise the electoral outcome.

Tina Bokuchava, leader of Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) that campaigned on a pro-European platform, said the results were "falsified" and the election "stolen".

"This is an attempt to steal Georgia's future," she said, declaring that the UNM did not accept the results.

Nika Gvaramia, leader of the liberal Akhali party, called the way the vote was held "a constitutional coup" by the government.

The Coalition for Change opposition alliance said its lawmakers would all renounce their seats.

A joint group of observers including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Council of Europe and European Parliament noted concerns about the impartiality of state institutions.

"The uneven playing field... undermines trust in the outcome and explains the reactions to the election results," they said in a statement.

Analyst Gela Vasadze of the Georgian Strategic Analysis Centre said the Caucasus country was plunging "into political instability for an indefinite period" and that its EU hopes had "dimmed".

He said, however, that the opposition lacked "charismatic leaders who could channel popular anger into a protest wave capable of bringing about political change."

 'Global war party'  

Georgia was gripped by mass demonstrations earlier this year against what the opposition saw as government attempts to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of four million off its pro-Western course and towards Russia's orbit.

In power since 2012, Georgian Dream initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda.

But it has reversed course over the last two years.

Its campaign centred on a conspiracy theory about a "global war party" that controls Western institutions and is seeking to drag Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a country scarred by Russia's 2008 invasion, the party has offered voters bogeyman stories about an imminent threat of war, which only Georgian Dream could prevent.

Georgian Dream's controversial "foreign influence" law which targeted civil society sparked weeks of street protests and was criticised as a Kremlin-style measure to silence dissent.

The move prompted Brussels to freeze Georgia's EU accession process, while Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.

The ruling party has also mounted a campaign against sexual minorities. It has adopted measures that ban LGBTQ "propaganda", nullify same-sex marriages conducted abroad, and outlaw gender reassignment.