First on Fox: Former Georgia Prime Minister Nika Gilauri told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the country now has Russian-style elections and no legitimate or credible parliament, adding another blow to Georgia's long struggle to join the European Union. .
“The election was rigged, and we have an illegitimate parliament right now,” Guillory told Fox News Digital.
Many see Russia's support in Georgia's fight for democracy The victory of the Georgian dream in the elections It was undoubtedly a win for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin looks to halt neighboring Georgia's Western ambitions in vital elections
Then-Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri speaks at a press conference in Tbilisi on August 21, 2009. (Zviad Nikolaishvili/AFP via Getty Images)
“Putin was praising the Georgian government for its stance against European pressure just minutes after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the halt of Georgia's European integration process,” Gilauri said.
“Everything seems to be very coordinated,” the former prime minister added.
A demonstrator waves the European Union flag during a rally outside parliament to protest the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Saturday, November 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Zhurab Tsertsvadze) (AP Photo/Zhurab Tsertsvadze)
Gilauri, who was Georgia's prime minister from 2009 to 2012, said you can see Russian hands in all the events taking place in Georgia now. The former Prime Minister of Russia said Vladimir Putin It has resorted to a recent pattern of interference in the affairs of its neighbors, citing the Romanian Constitutional Court's decision to annul the country's presidential elections due to Russian interference, as well as efforts to undermine democracy in Moldova by sowing chaos in its political system.
“So, we have a very similar scenario, and it was written in Moscow. It was implemented in Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and it is being implemented in Georgia now,” Guillory said.
Thousands of Georgians have been suffering from freezing temperatures and authorities for nearly a month since the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party declared victory in the election and halted efforts to join the European Union.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year press conference and phone call, in Moscow, Russia, on December 19, 2024. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)
More than 460 people have been arrested since peaceful protests erupted on November 29, with about 300 of them reporting severe beatings and other ill-treatment, according to Amnesty International.
US warns Russia-linked actors seeking to 'foment artificial rebellion' in European country
Guillory also said that Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili should not step down and should remain in office. Zurabishvili's presidential term ends on December 29, and the new Georgian Dream majority in parliament has already appointed its successor, Mikheil Kavelashvili.
“Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili is the only legitimate institution that Georgia has now,” Guillory said.
Demonstrators gather at the parliament building during an opposition protest against a foreign influence bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 28, 2024. The Georgian parliament overrode a presidential veto on “foreign agents” legislation that has raised Western concerns and sparked mass protests for weeks. (AP Photo/Zhurab Tsertsvadze)
Zurabishvili, who is he? Pro-EuropeanIt declared that the elections were rigged, and that Parliament was illegitimate and did not have the authority to appoint a replacement for her. Kavelashvili, who supports the Georgian Dream, criticizes the West, and the opposition views it as an extension of the Georgian Dream's ambitions to bring the country closer to Russia and away from its European ambitions.
President Zurabishvili said that the October parliamentary elections were essentially stolen, and that she would not step down. Thousands gathered to hear Zurabishvili speak at a rally on Rustaveli Street in central Tbilisi on Sunday evening, where the president called on Georgian Dream leaders to negotiate and hold new elections.
In this photo released by the Georgian Presidential Press Service, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili speaks at a joint press conference with Baltic and Nordic foreign ministers during their trip to Georgia in Tbilisi, Georgia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Georgian Presidential Press Service via AP)
“I am ready to sit down and find a solution on how to set the election date, but the decision must be agreed upon by the 29th,” the president said on the X website.
Although Zurabishvili has become the de facto leader of the protest movement, her decision may cause more chaos once her presidential term officially ends on the 29th of this month.
The current Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, suggested that Zurabishvili be imprisoned if she does not step down from the presidency.
The Georgian Dream party, backed by Russia, declared victory shortly after the polls closed on election night, receiving about 54% of the votes. The unified opposition received only 38%. Reuters reported The Georgian Dream says that it remains committed to integration with the West and to pursuing a practical policy towards neighboring Russia.
According to Radio Free Europe “This is a referendum between war and peace, between immoral propaganda and traditional values,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said after voting in the October election. “This is a referendum between the country’s dark past and its bright future.”
Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze attends a press conference in Tbilisi, Georgia on November 28, 2024. (Irakli Gidinidze)
Many opposition figures reject the victory achieved by the Georgian Dream and describe the elections as stolen and rigged.
The Georgian president and many Western observers confirmed that the election results were marred by irregularities, including fraud and vote stuffing.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a statement that the elections were “characterized by a tense atmosphere, several incidents of physical altercations, and widespread intimidation of voters.” European Council President Charles Michel called for an investigation into the alleged violations.
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Many Georgians have strong aspirations to join the European Union, with opinion polls showing that up to 83% of them support such a move. The Georgian Dream Party has stalled Georgia's efforts to join the EU since it became a candidate member in 2023. The EU subsequently suspended Georgia's process after a dispute. The controversial “foreign agent” law This requires citizens, NGOs, media, and other civil society organizations that receive more than 20% of funding from abroad to register as a foreign agent with the Ministry of Justice.
Following the passage of the pro-Kremlin foreign agents law, the United States imposed sanctions and travel bans on Georgian officials who voted in favor of the law and on the security services responsible for suppressing dissent. The State Department also temporarily suspended $95 million in aid to the government.
Reuters contributed to this report.
