The ball is in the prosecutors' court

Election rigged? Investigations now underway in Georgia

(Bild: APA/AFP/Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE)

Days after the extremely controversial election in Georgia, criticism of the electoral commission continues unabated. The public prosecutor's office has now launched an investigation into suspected electoral fraud.

The investigating authority also announced on Wednesday that President Salome Zurabishvili was also to be questioned on Thursday as part of the investigation. According to the official results, the ruling Georgian Dream party won the majority in Saturday's election. The opposition speaks of electoral fraud.

Significant irregularities
Zurabishvili, who is close to the opposition, had also repeatedly raised accusations of manipulation. International election observers, including those from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), had reported considerable irregularities such as the filling in of ballot papers by other people, bribery, intimidation of voters and violence near polling stations. However, they did not speak of electoral fraud.

President Zurabishvili is calling for an international investigation into the election.

(Bild: Associated Press)

Government wants to move closer to Russia
The European Union and the USA demanded an investigation into the incidents and transparency. The parliamentary election was seen as a landmark for the former Soviet republic. The ruling party, which has been in power since 2012, is officially sticking to its plan to become a member of the European Union.

At the same time, however, it is also trying to move closer to Russia. The opposition and Zurabishvili, on the other hand, want to lead the Caucasus country into the EU and free it from Russia's influence.