Thousands of protesters dispersed peacefully on January 13, but vowed to resume rallies to challenge official election results giving Mikheil Saakashvili an outright victory in the first round.
The protest rally, held on Rose Square (formerly Republic Square), was led by the nine-party opposition coalition, which backs Levan Gachechiladze’s presidential bid, but was also attended by other opposition figures. Before wrapping up the rally, the demonstrators marched down Rustaveli Avenue towards Freedom Square. Opposition leaders said protests would resume on January 15.
Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rights Party, who was himself a presidential candidate, told protesters that Saakashvili had no legitimacy and a run-off was needed. Politicians from the Labor Party were also at the rally, although party leader Shalva Natelashvili, who also ran in the election, was not present. Giorgi Maisashvili, who was an underdog presidential candidate, was also there.
“We demand a second round of elections; we want criminal changes to be brought against CEC Chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili; we want the courts to serve the interests of the people and we want the Georgian Public Broadcaster to be returned to the people,” Levan Gachechiladze, who according to official results came second after Saakashvili in the election, told protesters. He called on the international community not to recognize the election results. “Do not make the Georgian people hate you because of your support for Saakashvili,” Gachechiladze said.
MP Gia Tortladze of the Movement for United Georgia, part of the coalition, presented Gachechiladze at the protest rally as “the de facto new president of Georgia.”
Gachechiladze told supporters that protest rallies would continue everyday outside court buildings, the Georgian Public Broadcaster and other places. The GPB, Gachechiladze said, is not giving sufficient airtime to the opposition. The next protest rally is planned for January 15 outside the GPB.
“Saakashvili will never be the legitimate president of this country,” MP Kakha Kukava of the Conservative Party told protesters. “We will defend our votes and will not let him be inaugurated as the president. We will fight to the end.”
Saakashvili’s inauguration, according to government officials, will be held either on January 20 or 21.
Earlier on January 13 the CEC approved by seven votes to six a final vote tally of the January 5 presidential election, thereby endorsing Saakashvili’s re-election with 53.47% of the vote.
“With this final vote tally approved, we can announce that Mikheil Saakashvili has become the president of Georgia,” Levan Tarkhnishvili, the CEC chairman, said.
Six opposition-nominated members of the CEC, who voted against, said they would appeal the decision to Tbilisi City Court. They have argued that the CEC has not even properly considered their and observer organizations’ complaints, , which, they say, could have a bearing on the overall result.
According to the final vote tally, 1,982,318 voters turned out on polling day on January 5. The total electorate was 3,527,964. 33,129 ballot papers were invalidated.
The voter turnout figure is, however, at odds with an earlier one announced by the CEC. CEC spokesman Irakli Porchkhidze said on January 11 that the voter turnout was 1,976,208.
According to the final vote tally Saakashvili received 53.47% (1,060,042 votes);
Levan Gachechiladze – 25.69% (509,234 votes);
Badri Patarkatsishvili – 7.1% (140,826 votes);
Shalva Natelashvili – 6.49% (128,589 votes);
Davit Gamkrelidze – 4.02% (79,747 votes);
Giorgi Maisashvili – 0.77% (15,249 votes);
Irina Sarishvili – 0.16% (3,242).
Results from twelve precincts have been invalidated – five by the CEC and seven by the courts, Tarkhnishvili revealed.
Meanwhile, the CEC said it would approve final vote tallies for the two plebiscites on January 15. 72.5% of voters favour Georgian membership of NATO and 69.8%want parliamentary elections to be held this spring, instead of late 2008, according to early CEC released results, which are unlikely to be changed, election officials said on January 13.