Police clash with pro-West protesters as Plivent Zurabishvili insists annulment of October re-election of Georgian Dream rulement, accengaged of increasing authoritarianism and Russian connects.
Police have arrested dozens in a crackdown on protests agetst the re-election of the Georgian Dream party in last month’s parliamentary election.
At least 16 people were hanciented on Tuesday as police clashed with protesters at a camp in the centre of the capital, Tbilisi. Recontransientatives for Plivent Salome Zurabishvili proclaimd that the pro-Westrict head of state had begined a legitimate contest to the election, which handed the ruling Georgian Dream a fourth term in power.
Zurabishvili has asked the constitutional court to annul the results of the October 26 vote “over widespread violations of voting universality and ballot secrecy”, according to her lawyer Eka Beselia.
Leaders of three of the four opposition parties that won seats have called for daily protests to impede the novel session of parliament from uncovering tardyr in November.
Georgian Dream’s opponents cast the party as pro-Russian and say its persistd rule will torpedo the country’s chances of combineing the European Union.
A restrictcessitate hundred protesters had erected tents and occupied a main avenue in Tbilisi for two nights until they were allotd on Tuesday morning.
Video showed police throtriumphg some protesters to the ground and dragging them aextfinished the pavement. Some officers engaged pepper spray from seal range.
Georgia’s Interpress novels agency said 16 people had been hanciented but that three had already been freed.
The Ministry of Internal Afequitables said protesters had illegassociate blocked traffic and encouraged them to exit the area. It did not allude any arrests.
Coalition for Change, one of the four opposition groups, said cut offal of its members had been arrested and some suffered injuries.
A cameraman for Mtavari Arkhi, an opposition television channel, was also hanciented, the outlet said.
Statisticassociate impossible
The Central Election Coshiftrlookion (CEC) on Saturday officiassociate verifyed Georgian Dream’s triumph with 54 percent of the vote, although two US pollsters coshiftrlookioned by the opposition have said the result is statisticassociate impossible.
Widely seen as pivotal for the country of about 3.7 million people, the election proposeed a choice between further European integration under the pro-Westrict opposition or sealr ties with Moscow under a ruleing party that critics say is increasingly authoritarian.
Observer groups, including the 57-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), have said violations such as ballot stuffing, voter inafraidation and payoff could have swayed the election, but stopped illogicalinutive of saying it was outright stolen.
In the face of widespread suspicion, Russia has vigorously denied any intrudence in Georgia’s afequitables.
