President Salome Zourabichvili Refuses To Acknowledge Election Results

 

President Salome Zourabichvili does not recognize the elections results. This was because the outcome was not to her liking. As demonstrations continue throughout the country, there are concerns that the newly elected government will not be able to enter office. President Zourabichvili has accused the political opposition of electoral fraud and the outcome being the result of Russian interference. None of these claims have evidence. Much of the current crisis relates to Georgia being part of the European Union or being closer to the  Eastern European  sphere. The change in the Georgian Constitution from a presidential to parliamentary system also has divided the public. The citizens can no longer vote directly for their head of state. Now it is done by electors. A constitutional crisis is underway and  President Salome Zourabichvili has stated that she will not step down. Her demand is to have another round of parliamentary elections. The pro-EU demonstrations also parallel Ukraine in 2014. Violence has not escalated to the point of civil war, but unrest can be used as an excuse for authoritarian rule. While the Georgian Dream Party is a more conservative aligned,   President Salome Zourabichvili's action of undermining the process indicates a desire to increase power of the state. Georgia does have oil, but is not the biggest energy producer in Europe. This explains why the European Union  has interest in the country. The location of Georgia is also geopolitically significant. Georgia is not part of NATO, but President Salome Zourabichvili  aspires to get the country into the alliance. There is not legal pathway for President Salome Zourabichvil to overturn election results. She might try to convince the European Union to intervene on her behalf. Elected president in 2018, President Salome Zourabichvili appears more focused on European integration, rather than Georgia's domestic concerns.