{"id":952188,"date":"2021-11-02T03:13:54","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T07:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=952188"},"modified":"2021-11-02T03:13:56","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T07:13:56","slug":"georgia-thousands-protest-rigged-election-after-pro-putin-party-wins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-thousands-protest-rigged-election-after-pro-putin-party-wins\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia: Thousands Protest &#039;Rigged&#039; Election After Pro-Putin Party Wins"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgeorgia-thousands-protest-rigged-election-after-pro-putin-party-wins%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=952188&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">As many as 3,000 people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/georgia-election-results-saakashvili-baramidze\/31537849.html\">flooded<\/a> the heart of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday in protest of the Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party claiming a victory in the weekend\u2019s regional elections.<\/p>\n<p>The rally was the latest of several such events in the past month against the ruling party that also demanded freedom for former President Mikheil Saakashvili, the leader of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usip.org\/sites\/default\/files\/sr167.pdf\">Rose Revolution<\/a> uprising against politicians tied to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2003. Putin invaded Georgia in response to Saakashvili\u2019s victory, attempting to break two regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, off of the map of sovereign Georgia.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Saakashvili has been on hunger strike for 32 days as of Monday following his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/news\/tens-of-thousands-rally-in-georgia-for-jailed-ex-leader-saakashvili\/\">arrest<\/a> on charges of allegedly misusing his power while president. Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 immediately after entering the country for the first time in years. The former president is now a Ukrainian citizen after a tumultuous near-decade that saw pro-Putin forces in that country attempt to arrest him, as well, and at one time left him entirely stateless.<\/p>\n<p>The former president, in a message from prison, urged all pro-democracy politicians to resign from their official posts in protest of this weekend\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n<p>Images published online of Sunday\u2019s protest showed thousands of people assembled, waving Georgian flags and holding signs calling for Saakashvili\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_18550834\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"36\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1236254319.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-18550834\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1236254319.jpg\" alt=\"Participants wave flags during a rally in Tbilisi on October 31, 2021, held to demand the release from jail of their ex-president and opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili. - Saakashvili, Georgia&#039;s president from 2004-2013, was arrested and imprisoned October 1, days after he secretly returned from exile in Ukraine. The flamboyant pro-Western reformer has been on hunger strike for nearly four weeks to protest the ruling he says is politically motivated. (Photo by Vano SHLAMOV \/ AFP) (Photo by VANO SHLAMOV\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants wave flags during a rally in Tbilisi on October 31, 2021, held to demand the release from jail of their ex-president and opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili. (VANO SHLAMOV\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SaakashviliMikheil\/posts\/421011776061092\" data-width=\"640\" readability=\"12.888888888889\">\n<blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/100044568183561\/posts\/421011776061092\/\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" readability=\"2.8194444444444\">\n<p>Tbilisi 19:40<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SaakashviliMikheil\">Mikheil Saakashvili<\/a> on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/100044568183561\/posts\/421011776061092\/\">Sunday, October 31, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u0413\u0440\u0443\u0437\u0438\u044f: \u0432\u044b\u0431\u043e\u0440\u044b \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0438, \u043e\u043f\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0438\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432\u044b\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438\u0442 \u043d\u0430 \u0443\u043b\u0438\u0446\u044b\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5k4al6V3Bxw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>At the rally, the head of the opposition party United National Movement (UNM) Nika Melia accused the Georgian Dream governing coalition of \u201cviolence, blackmailing, and intimidation,\u201d calling the election \u201ctotally rigged,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/civil.ge\/archives\/452062\">Georgian media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Georgian Dream <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yaktrinews.com\/i\/georgias-ruling-party-wins-major-cities-mayor-races\/\">won<\/a> 19 of 20 municipal elections, including the mayorship of Tbilisi, and a plurality of other regional elections. This weekend\u2019s elections were runoffs scheduled because the first round of voting was so close, leaving many to wonder how the vote shifted so dramatically for Georgian Dream without any significant changes in polling or observable shift in public sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>Melia, the UNM leader, announced a series of national rallies against the results of the election, and in support of Saakashvili, beginning on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Saakashvili published an infuriated letter on social media on Monday condemning the ruling party and the election results.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI am very angry and insulted, as all self-respecting Georgians should be angry and insulted. We had the elections stolen from us in every big city,\u201d Saakashvili wrote, we won this election and the group of bandits who usurped the Georgian government snatched this victory from us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must ensure that the fraudulent government pays the appropriate price to the people \u2013 to take back power from them and make them answer to the law,\u201d the former president continued, citing several victories of anti-Russian populist movements in Armenia and Ukraine in recent memory.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Saakashvili discouraged any dialogue or cooperation with Georgian Dream and urged instead \u201cstreet protest and resistance to violence.\u201d He called on lawmakers to resign en masse, making it impossible for the ruling party to properly govern.<\/p>\n<p>Those close to Saakashvili have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/10\/26\/ex-georgian-president-putin-foe-mikheil-saakashvili-nearing-death-on-hunger-strike\/\">reported<\/a> his health declining significantly as a result of his hunger strike, which surpassed the one-month milestone this weekend. Last week, attorney&nbsp;Dito Sadzaglishvili, told the public that Saakashvili required \u201cresuscitation assistance\u201d on one occasion and could soon see a \u201csharp decline in health.\u201d A group of doctors, citing information available to them regarding the former president, urged the government to allow him to continue his strike in a private hospital, a demand the government has denied.<\/p>\n<p>Saakashvili has reportedly refused treatment in any prison facility.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_18553642\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"35\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1236254439.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-18553642\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1236254439-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Participants wave flags during a rally in Tbilisi on October 31, 2021l held to demand the release from jail of ex-president and opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili. (VANO SHLAMOV\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The ex-president\u2019s partner&nbsp;Elizaveta Yasko told reporters on Monday that Saakashvili has lost \u201cover 20 pounds\u201d since he began his strike, <a href=\"https:\/\/112.international\/society\/saakashvili-loses-over-20-kg-in-prison-saakashvilis-wife-66368.html\">calling<\/a> for the president of Georgia to step down or be removed in response to the \u201cgreat shame\u201d of Saakashvili\u2019s imprisonment.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi <a href=\"https:\/\/ge.usembassy.gov\/u-s-embassy-statement-following-the-second-round-of-georgian-municipal-elections\/\">issued<\/a> a statement on Monday appearing to support the clamor of those denouncing fraud, asserting that \u201callegations of intimidation and pressure on voters persisted and continued polarization, coupled with the escalation of negative rhetoric, adversely affected the process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSharp imbalances of resources and an undue advantage of incumbency further tilted the playing field,\u201d the embassy asserted, citing \u201cwide-spread violations in the pre-election period and on both election days that adversely affected the ability of citizens to vote freely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than improving the atmosphere by addressing problems identified by election observers in the first round, intimidation, offensive rhetoric, misuse of administrative resources, and reports of blatant vote-buying and other violations continued, and a politicized media further inflamed the polarized atmosphere,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n<p>Civil.ge, a United Nations-affiliated outlet, <a href=\"https:\/\/civil.ge\/archives\/451518\">reported<\/a> on Saturday that the campaigns leading up to elections this weekend had featured outsized violence against journalists, presumably at the hands of Georgian Dream supporters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJournalist crews from the government-critical TV networks \u2013 TV Pirveli and Formula \u2013 were among those most frequently reported as victims as they tried to document possible violations in and around polling stations,\u201d according to the outlet. \u201c<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Over a dozen journalists, covering the bitterly-contested second rounds of the local elections today, have been attacked across Georgia by unidentified persons and allegedly ruling party activists and coordinators.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><em>Follow Frances Martel on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1635791676747000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGhVSPadb77dlHMoCsUQ1Vz5fgjHQ\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1635791676747000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE998nCX-Je0NQUhoKvJfoSMX0GlA\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As many as 3,000 people flooded the heart of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday in protest of the Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party claiming a victory in the weekend\u2019s regional elections. The &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-952188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=952188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=952188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=952188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=952188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}