Thousands of Georgians protest against election results
14 January 2008
On Sunday 13 January thousands of people took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi in protest at what they say were rigged presidential elections last weekend. At least 50,000 opposition supporters protested to demand a second round of voting. The protesters also vented their anger towards Western observers who have said the polls were essentially democratic, despite some ‘irregularities’.
Last week pro-Western reformer Mikheil Saakashvili won the presidential elections with 53 percent of the vote, averting a run-off against his nearest rival Levan Gachechiladze who received 25 percent of the vote. Gachechiladze told the large crowd: “We must stand together and we will win. We will achieve a second round of elections.”
Salome Zurabishvili, another opposition leader and a former foreign minister, called on foreign leaders to boycott Saakashvili's inauguration ceremony next week and instead to “put pressure” on him.
