In which direction are processes developing in Georgia?

After the parliamentary elections held in Georgia on October 26, President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition parties stated that the elections were rigged and did not recognize the results. The President called on the people to gather in front of parliament on October 28.

In addition to Salome Zourabichvili, opposition party leaders also attended and addressed the public at the rally held on October 28 on Rustaveli Avenue.

Opposition parties demand a re-election in Georgia, conducted by an international electoral administration. Otherwise, the opposition parties have declared that they will not enter parliament. President Salome Zourabichvili promised to stand with the people until the end.

The Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, believes that Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili should be removed from office and arrested. He wrote this on October 28 on X.

Today, the Georgian Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into allegations of election fraud. According to a statement, President Salome Zourabichvili was summoned for questioning on October 31.

The situation in Georgia was commented on by political observer Shahin Jafarli in the program "Complex Question."

According to him, the election results were not surprising. The election campaign was dominated by "Georgian Dream." In post-Soviet countries, authorities relying on administrative resources always have a strong advantage, significantly ahead of their opponents. In such states, unfortunately, the concepts of the state and the government are often seen as identical.

Moreover, speeches by Bidzina Ivanishvili and the "Dreamers" indicated that even in the case of election loss, they did not intend to relinquish power. In their statements, they presented the opposition as a network of foreign agents and traitors to the homeland and promised to ban the opposition's activities and prosecute them after the elections.

In the expert's opinion, the "Dreamers" could have "drawn" themselves a constitutional majority in parliament if they wanted to. However, they refrained from doing so, apparently assuming that total falsification could hinder dialogue with the West.

Jafarli believes that the "Dreamers" certainly rigged the elections but did so skillfully—so much so that, as they say, "a mosquito couldn't find a flaw." At the same time, the expert notes that "Georgian Dream" does indeed have support in Georgian society.

The expert did not rule out the possibility of the "Dreamers" turning Georgia into a Russian outpost in the South Caucasus. However, in his opinion, if this happens, it will not be very soon.

"In any case, the political platform of 'Georgian Dream' includes European integration as one of its goals, and the party has not yet abandoned this course," Jafarli noted.