ジョージア大統領、ロシアが「不正操作」と非難　議会選

【トビリシＡＦＰ＝時事】ジョージアで２６日に行われた議会選挙でロシア寄りとされる与党「ジョージアの夢」が勝利した結果を受け、野党は２７日、抗議デモを呼び掛けた。欧州連合（ＥＵ）も「不正」をめぐる調査を要求した。（写真は資料写真）
　今回の選挙は、ジョージアの民主主義の試金石とされ、ＥＵ加盟への可能性を決定付ける重要な機会と見なされていた。
　選挙区９９％以上の開票結果では、ジョージアの夢が得票率５４％を獲得。親ＥＵ派の主要野党連合は３７．５％にとどまった。
　これにより、ジョージアの夢は１５０議席中９１議席を獲得することになる。政権維持には十分なものの、野党連合が反対している憲法改正に必要な絶対多数には及ばなかった。
　親欧米派のサロメ・ズラビシビリ大統領は、首都トビリシで野党連合の党首らと会談した後、選挙は「完全に不正操作」されていたと主張。
　「われわれは、ロシアによる特殊作戦の目撃者であり、犠牲者だ。これはジョージア国民に仕掛けられた現代のハイブリッド戦争だ」と非難するとともに、２８日に抗議デモを行うよう国民に呼び掛けた。
　国際選挙監視団は、今回の選挙は「不公平な条件、圧力によって損なわれていた」と指摘している。
　ＥＵ議会派遣団も「票の水増し」や監視員に対する「暴行」などを目撃したとし、「民主主義の後退」への懸念を表明した。
　ＥＵのシャルル・ミシェル欧州理事会常任議長（ＥＵ大統領）はＸ（旧ツイッター）で、ジョージア当局は「選挙違反および不正疑惑について、透明性の高い独立調査を直ちに行うべきだ」と主張した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/10/28-17:08）

The Georgian opposition called for protests on Monday and the European Union demanded an investigation into irregularities after a disputed legislative vote that showed a win for the ruling party accused of moving towards Russia's orbit.
Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili on Sunday accused Moscow of orchestrating election fraud, calling it a Russian special operation.
Amid angry opposition claims over the result, Zurabishvili called for a rally on Monday. Jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili also called for mass protests.
The European Union had warned that Saturday's vote, seen as a crucial test of democracy in the Caucasus country, could determine Tbilisi's chances of joining the bloc.
EU council president Charles Michel wrote on social media that Georgian authorities should swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof.
These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed, he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said he supported calls for investigations into election-related violations, citing reports from international and local observers of vote buying and voter intimidation.
After meeting with opposition leaders in Tbilisi, Zurabishvili said there had been a total falsification of the election.
We are witnesses and victims of a Russian special operation, a modern form of hybrid war against the Georgian people, she said.
International observers said Saturday's election was marred by an uneven playing field, pressure and tension.
An EU parliament mission also expressed concern about democratic backsliding, saying it had seen instances of ballot box stuffing and the physical assault of observers.
- 'Fighting for freedom' -
Saakashvili, who spearheaded the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, said on Facebook that opposition lawmakers should renounce their parliamentary seats.
Now is the time for mass protests. We must show the world that we are fighting for freedom and that we are a people who will not tolerate injustice, he said.
Official tallies from more than 99 percent of precincts showed the ruling Georgian Dream party winning 54 percent of the vote, with the main pro-Western opposition coalition on 37.5 percent.
The result gives Georgian Dream 91 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the supermajority it had sought to pass a constitutional ban on all main opposition parties.
Our victory is impressive, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a statement, accusing the opposition of undermining the country's constitutional order by questioning his party's victory.
The government said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of the ruling party and current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, would visit Georgia on Monday and Tuesday.
Orban rushed to congratulate Georgian Dream for an overwhelming victory on Saturday after one exit poll showed the government in the lead and before preliminary results had been published.
Another exit poll by US pollster Edison Research had projected an opposition victory by an 11-percent margin.
- EU hopes 'dimmed' -
Opposition parties lined up to denounce the vote.
This is an attempt to steal Georgia's future, said Tina Bokuchava, leader of Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM).
Nika Gvaramia, leader of the liberal Akhali party, called the way the vote was held a constitutional coup by the government.
Analyst Gela Vasadze of the Georgian Strategic Analysis Centre said the country was plunging into political instability for an indefinite period and that its EU hopes had dimmed.
He said, however, that the opposition lacked charismatic leaders who could channel popular anger into a protest wave capable of bringing about political change.
- 'Global war party' -
Georgia was gripped by mass demonstrations this year against what the opposition saw as government attempts to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of four million off its pro-Western course and towards Russia.
In power since 2012, Georgian Dream initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda.
But it has reversed course over the last two years.
Its campaign centred on a conspiracy theory about a global war party that controls Western institutions and is seeking to drag Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a country scarred by Russia's 2008 invasion, the party has offered voters bogeyman stories about an imminent threat of war, which only Georgian Dream could prevent.
Georgian Dream's controversial foreign influence law which targeted civil society sparked weeks of street protests and was criticised as a Kremlin-style measure to silence dissent.
The move prompted Brussels to freeze Georgia's EU accession process, while Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.
In a campaign against sexual minorities, the ruling party has adopted measures that ban LGBTQ propaganda, nullify same-sex marriages conducted abroad, and outlaw gender reassignment.