Georgia election body confirms ruling party’s disputed win amid protests

Head of Central Electoral Commission is doused with achromatic overgarment during unruly league arsenic protesters gathered outside.

Thousands of radical are protesting successful Georgia aft the predetermination committee confirmed the governing enactment arsenic the victor of past month’s disputed parliamentary polls.

The Caucasus nation’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) said connected Saturday that the Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party won 53.93 percent of the vote, against 37.79 percent garnered by an confederation of pro-Western absorption groups.

The last results springiness Georgian Dream 89 seats successful the 150-member parliament, which the absorption has refused to participate based connected allegations of tampered results.

During a confrontational league of the predetermination commission, absorption typical Davit Kirtadze splashed achromatic overgarment connected the CEC chief, Giorgi Kalandarishvili.

He shouted that the committee caput has been moving Georgia towards Russia alternatively of the European Union. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said it has initiated a transgression probe against Kirtadze.

The ministry besides said constabulary detained 3 antigovernment demonstrators astatine a protestation extracurricular the commission’s headquarters.

There person been a drawstring of protests drafting tens of thousands pursuing the October 26 parliamentary vote.

There were wide pupil protests astatine universities connected Friday evening successful large cities crossed Georgia, including astatine Tbilisi State University, which lasted until aft midnight.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the president person besides been clashing, with President Salome Zourabishvili describing the ballot arsenic illegitimate and accusing Russia of interference.

The EU and the United States person said the predetermination indispensable beryllium investigated for “irregularities”. Russia has denied immoderate meddling.

Kobakhidze has insisted the elections were escaped and fair. He asserted that parliament would convene wrong 10 days aft the merchandise of the results by CEC.

Last week, the premier curate threatened to prohibition each main absorption parties.

Before the election, Brussels had warned that the ballot would find Georgia’s chances of joining the EU.

Georgia has been a campaigner for EU rank since past year, but its interior powerfulness struggles person stalled the process. Issues specified arsenic authorities curbing LGBTQ rights and a “foreign influence” instrumentality to restrict NGOs and the media – which critics accused of favouring Russia – person affected the effort.

Protests person besides raged this week successful Georgia’s breakaway territory of Abkhazia implicit a projected measurement that would let Russians to bargain spot there. On Saturday, protesters refused to permission the parliament building, which they had stormed connected Friday.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies