Tens of thousands rally in Georgia to denounce the parliamentary election they say was rigged

Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Tens of thousands of Georgians massed outside parliament, demanding the annulment of the weekend parliamentary election that the president has alleged was rigged with the help of Russia. The rally deepened the political crisis in the South Caucasus country, where the governing Georgian Dream party has become increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. Protesters waved the flags of Georgia and the European Union at the rally. President Salome Zourabichvili, in an earlier interview with The Associated Press, urged the West to support opposition protests of the official results. Zourabichvili, who refused to recognize the results, says the country has fallen victim to Russian pressure aimed at derailing its plans to join the EU.