Georgian opposition starts round-the-clock protest in Tbilisi calling for election rerun

The demonstrators claim that the country's recent parliamentary elections were rigged and are demanding a rerun.

Transcript

00:00Georgia's opposition and its supporters started round-the-clock protests on the streets of

00:07Tbilisi, calling for new parliamentary elections.

00:12Protesters rejected the results of the country's recent election amid allegations the vote

00:17was rigged, an accusation which ruling party Georgian Dream denies.

00:25Demonstrators blocked one of the capital's central streets, vowing to remain there until

00:30their demands are met.

00:35Election observers described the elections as taking place in a divisive atmosphere marked

00:39by instances of bribery, double-voting and physical violence.

00:46Many Georgians viewed the vote as a pivotal referendum on the country's effort to join

00:50the European Union.

00:55The bloc suspended Georgia's membership application process indefinitely in June after the country's

01:00parliament passed a foreign influence law that critics say mimics Moscow's crackdown

01:06on civil society.