Georgian President: 'This is an election that has been stolen'

DW (English)

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili spoke with DW on why she does not recognize the election results. Zourabichvili also stated that the results do not reflect Georgia's general pro-European stance.

Transcript

00:00Yes, once again, I am joined by the President of Georgia, Salome Sarabesvili.

00:04Thank you for taking your time to talk to us.

00:06Once again, international observers have reported several concerns about the election process

00:11but have not gone as far as calling the outcome fraudulent.

00:15Why do you still not recognize the election results?

00:18Well, first of all, the international observer missions do not condemn the legality of elections

00:24so close to the elections.

00:26They still have a lot to receive as information.

00:30Our own local observers have been very clear about the amount of incidents and the information

00:38I have received about the sophistication and the numerous forms of frauds that have been

00:46used drives me to have made the declaration that I made yesterday.

00:52Because the results go against the long trend of all the opinion polls that we have had

00:58in this country, especially since the Russian law and the protests on the streets that show

01:04that the population wants to keep its European pass and was supporting the pro-European forces.

01:11So this is an election that has been stolen and I think that the Georgian people on the

01:16streets will confirm this judgment.

01:20The Georgian Dream Party has been ruling alone but now it has to form a coalition.

01:26The opposition says it won't work together with Georgian Dream.

01:30Won't the opposition, wouldn't the opposition have more leverage on working with the Georgian

01:35Dream Party?

01:36You're kidding, I think.

01:38First of all, there is no intention of the Georgian Dream to form a coalition with anyone.

01:44They have a majority.

01:45They had hoped for the constitutional majority and I think that explains the extent of the

01:51violations that they were aiming at having 60% in order to carry on their program, which

01:59is to first impeach the president, then put the opposition forces in jail and judge some

02:07of the opposition parties.

02:09I don't think that it's a program for a coalition.

02:12The coalition was a program of the pro-European forces.

02:15I was intending to form, together with the four pro-European parties, a technical government

02:23in order to facilitate the beginning of this coalition.

02:27That chance was not given by the ruling party, who would have kept in any circumstances a

02:3430% position in the parliament and would have been a democratic opposition force.

02:40That's not the path they choose.

02:42They have chosen dictatorship and not democracy.

02:47The capital, Tbilisi, has remained calm since the election.

02:50Now you are calling for protests.

02:53What makes you sure people will answer your call?

02:55Well, you'll be here tonight.

02:57We can look at it together.

02:59What do you hope to achieve with this protest?

03:01I don't hope to achieve anything.

03:03I've made my judgment clear.

03:05I think that it's the Georgian people that has to support this judgment because they

03:10are the ones that have seen their votes being stolen.

03:14They are the ones that are driven by force into a regime that will be more like Russia

03:20rather than like a European democratic country.

03:24The people are going to leave if that is not reversed and human rights and freedoms are

03:30going to be under great challenge.

03:32If peaceful protests don't achieve the goals, what then?

03:36Well, I cannot predict the future.

03:39I think that you do not always start protests and especially peaceful as it's the case in

03:44this country with being sure that you're going to achieve your aim.

03:51I think there are many different strategies.

03:54I think political parties are thinking about asking for renewed elections and probably

04:00with the support of our European partners so that we are sure that they are transparent

04:04and fair.

04:05They're also gathering more analysis of what has happened in order to really bring the

04:13testimonies in shape.

04:16So political parties will have to devise a strategy.

04:20I'm here to be, as long as I can, because that might not be forever, but to be the one

04:28independent institution in this country that will to the end fight this path towards dictatorship.

04:35The ruling party positions itself as the only force that can keep the peace with Russia.

04:41That's important to many Georgians who want to prevent a war like in Ukraine.

04:46What would you say to those people?

04:48I would say to those people that there is no Georgian that wants a war because we have

04:53known more than one war, not only with Russia, but essentially in the last two centuries

04:59with Russia.

05:01So that's a common concern, I would say, of the whole population.

05:06But we also know that the only country that can start war is Russia and that the only

05:11thing that can protect this country from war is internal stability, it's democracy and

05:17it's its path towards Europe.

05:19What's at stake for Georgia right now?

05:21Its future.

05:23And what do you expect from the EU in this situation?

05:26What specific steps do you want to see from Brussels, Madam President?

05:30I think Brussels has to be very clear, as it was after the Russian law, about what it

05:36was asking from this government to deliver, the recommendations that were made by the

05:41European Commission, the rejection of all the Russian laws, and to hold free and fair

05:49elections.

05:50I think the government has not delivered on any of these promises, or not promises, and

05:58as on the contrary, as electoral promise promised to arrest opposition leaders, to constrain

06:06the civil society, and to put under control the media.

06:10I don't think that it's something that is acceptable by European partners.

06:14And the very last question, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is coming tonight.

06:18Hungary currently holds the presidency of the European Council.

06:21Orbán has already congratulated the Georgian dream on its election and victory.

06:27What's your take on his visit?

06:29I don't think he has any mandate from the European Union, and I think that it's very

06:34clear for the Georgian population that he's very politically aware that if he comes, he

06:40only comes as a friend of the current ruling majority in a new attempt to psychologically

06:47impress the population.

06:49But we are more resilient than that.

06:51Salome Zarabeshvili, the President of Georgia, thank you very much, Madam President.

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