Georgia election showdown as opposition seeks to overturn results – POLITICO

TBILISI, Georgia — Growing allegations of vote-rigging in a critical nationwide election in Georgia are fueling a bitter battle between the government and opposition parties, with European capitals and nongovernmental organizations issuing warnings about the state of the country’s democracy.

On Monday, the four parliamentary opposition groups together agreed they would boycott the national assembly as civil society claimed Saturday’s parliamentary poll had been marred by significant attempts to unduly influence the result by the governing Georgian Dream party.

“Election results do not represent the will of the Georgian people,” said Giorgi Gakharia, former prime minister and chairman of the opposition For Georgia bloc. “We will not give Georgian Dream parliament legitimacy,” he wrote online.