Thousands of protesters gathered outside the newly elected Georgian parliament on Monday as it opened its inaugural session, accusing the ruling party of rigging the vote under Russian influence. Opposition lawmakers and the country's ceremonial president refused to take part in the session, leaving only 88 members of the Georgian Dream party present in the 150-seat assembly. Several thousand protesters faced off against scores of riot police outside the parliament, under pouring rain. The October election, which saw the Georgian Dream party remain in power, was widely viewed as a referendum on the country's bid to join the European Union. Georgia's Central Election Commission said the party won 54% of the vote in October while Georgian Dream leaders have rejected opposition claims of fraud. European election observers said the election took place in a 'divisive' atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence. Nika Melia, leader of Coalition for Changes, vowed that the opposition "will do everything to defeat the so-called government, the self-proclaimed government." "This is the fight between people fighting for freedom against people who are trying to entrench the deeply authoritarian regime," he said. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on X that the parliament is unconstitutional due to evidence of electoral fraud and refused to open the session as required by the constitution. Zourabichvili filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court, arguing that the constitutional principles of voting secrecy and universality were violated. Critics have accused the Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilting towards Russia. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights. The EU suspended Georgia's membership process indefinitely after a law passed requiring organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as pursuing the interest of a foreign power — similar to a law used by Moscow to discredit those critical of the government. — Euronews
