TBILISI -- Georgia's opposition staged a third day of protests on November 5 against the results of last month's parliamentary elections claimed by the ruling Georgian Dream party amid accusations of widespread vote-rigging and irregularities at polling stations.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Appeals Court in Tbilisi before beginning a march through the Georgian capital, where traffic came to a standstill in parts of the city. Along the route, the number of marchers continued to grow.
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Georgian Opposition Protests Continue After Disputed Elections
Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream claimed victory in the election, with preliminary official results showing it received nearly 54 percent of the vote.
The opposition and the country's pro-European president, Salome Zurabishvili, refused to recognize the validity of the results, alleging massive fraud and Russian interference.
The site of the protest was chosen by the opposition as the Appeals Court was due to begin the review of rulings by local courts in the towns of Tetritskaro and Gori regarding irregularities during the October 26 vote.
The Tetritskaro court canceled the election results at 30 polling stations due to the violation of the secrecy of the vote, while the Gori court ordered a recount of invalid ballots from 15 polling stations.
In Tetsikaro, Judge Vladimir Kuchua ruled in favor of the complaint filed by a civic group called the Young Lawyers' Association, deciding to annul the result at 30 polling stations based on evidence presented by the group.
Georgia's Central Election Commission (TsSK) challenged the two courts' decisions, declaring them unfounded, prompting the opposition in turn to challenge the TsSK's ruling at the Appeals Court.
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Climate Activist Thunberg Joins Georgian Election Protest (Video)
Kuchua has been hailed by the opposition as a rare, courageous magistrate to go against Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012.
One of the leaders of the Coalition for Change opposition bloc, Zurab Japaridze, told RFE/RL that Kuchua was a "decent person."
"They were afraid of the decision made by the judge from Tetsikaro on November 4, who turned out to be a decent person in this corrupt system.... We came here to protest because the entire state system, including the TsSK and the Prosecutor's Office is working to force the citizens of Georgia to make a choice that they did not make," Japaridze said.
"We citizens of Georgia, since we became independent, have always chosen for the country to become part of the civilized world, the West. Now the Russians are forcing another choice upon us," he said.
Nika Melia, one of the leaders of Coalition for Change, has said demonstrations will continue for new elections.
"In the coming days and weeks, our task is to fill Tbilisi with people. All major squares, streets, avenues should be full of people," Melia said.
Another opposition group, the Girchi Party, has also joined the call for fresh elections, arguing that the confidentiality of the vote had been violated on October 26.
The party, which did not pass the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament, has scheduled a rally outside the parliament building for November 9 and urged the TsSK to call new elections within one week. It has also appealed to Georgia's Western partners not to recognize the results of the vote.
Thousands demonstrated in the capital for the second night in a row on November 4 to demand new elections.
SEE ALSO: Thousands Protest Georgia's 'Stolen Election' In TbilisiThe thousands of participant in the rally, which included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, set off from outside the House of Justice and marched about 5 kilometers waving Georgian and European Union flags through the capital, before ending their protest on Tbilisi's Marjanishvili Square.