Thousands of opposition supporters were joined by EU officials at a rally on Monday in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, protesting against the ruling party’s victory. The protesters allege that the elections were rigged in favor of Georgian Dream (GD) with support from Russia and demand new elections under international observation.

European observers have challenged the election as illegitimate and for taking place in a “tense atmosphere” accompanied by violence, voter intimidation, breach of vote secrecy, and obstruction of observers. More prominently, as Georgian president Zourabichvili stated in an interview, the newly introduced electronic voting devices were allegedly rigged in favor of the ruling party under Moscow’s guidance. This resulted in a win with 54 percent of the votes for the ruling party, despite the opposition being ahead in the polls.

Multiple EU ministers, who are in contact with Georgian president Zourabichvili, had recently condemned the Georgian election for violations of international standards. In 2024, the election can be viewed as a referendum on accession to the EU or an approximation to neighboring Russia. While the EU had stalled accession plans due to a democratic backslide after Georgian Dream introduced a law on “foreign agents” and  anti-LGBTQ+ legislation mirroring Russian statutes.

EU politicians from various countries joined the protests and held speeches, such as the Swedish member of parliament Erik Ottoson. German Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs Michael Roth also expressed his support for the Georgian opposition, calling for an investigation into voter obstruction. This support comes after the EU Commission president denounced increasing Russian disinformation to undermine European democracies and election processes, such as the recent Moldavian accession vote.

The same day, in the Russian-controlled province Abkhasia, five opposition leaders were arrested and released shortly after following protests in the region.