Russia rejects accusations of interference in Georgian elections, NATO calls for investigation

Moscow, Oct 28 (IANS) Russia on Monday called accusations of its interference in the parliamentary elections in Georgia "absolutely unfounded," even as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) called for an investigation into the alleged "election-related violations", as observed by international monitors.

"We resolutely reject such accusations. They have become standard for many countries, and at the slightest thing, they immediately accuse Russia of interference. No, that is not true, there was no interference, and the accusations are absolutely unfounded," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during a media briefing.

Saturday's parliamentary elections in Georgia saw the participation of as many as 18 parties, including the ruling Georgian Dream, which led with 52.99 per cent of the vote.

It was the first time that the elections were conducted in the country under a fully proportional system, with nearly 90 per cent of voters using electronic devices at polling stations.

Rejecting the results, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called on the international community to protect the country by standing with the people and not an "illegitimate government".

"These elections are illegitimate, and nothing can change that," Zourabichvili wrote on X, labelling the election process as "a Russian special operation" and "a new form of hybrid warfare".

She referenced past international support against the "Russian law" and called for similar backing.

After the US and European Union, NATO on Monday also joined calls for an investigation, stating that the International Election Observation Mission has noted the uneven playing field in which elections were held, which undermines public trust in the outcome.

"Reports of election-related violations should be fully investigated," said NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah.

Early results from the Central Election Commission indicated that the ruling Georgian Dream party is leading with over 52.99 per cent of the vote.

Giorgi Kalandarishvili, chairman of the Central Election Commission, stated that based on early data from 2,206 polls, Georgian Dream received 935,004 votes.

Among opposition parties, the Coalition for Change garnered 11.2 per cent, followed by the United National Movement with 9.8 per cent, Strong Georgia with 9.0 per cent, and Gakharia for Georgia with 8.2 per cent.

Kalandarishvili noted that the election was held peacefully and utilised special voter verification equipment, marking a first for the country. However, the commission later confirmed Georgian Dream's victory, triggering criticism and protests from opposition leaders and supporters.