Georgia's opposition has launched a fresh demonstration on November 5 to protest the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections claimed by the ruling Georgian Dream party amid accusations of widespread vote-rigging and irregularities at the polling stations.
The protest began outside the Appeals Court in Tbilisi and comes after thousands demonstrated in the capital for the second night in a row on November 4 to demand new elections.
The site of the protest had been initially set for outside Tbilisi's Sports Palace but was changed as Georgia's Appeals Court is due to review 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 challenged the two courts' decisions, declaring them unfounded.
The Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012, claimed victory in the election, with preliminary official results showing it garnered 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.
At the rally on November 4, opposition leaders called for continuous protests and civil resistance until the election results are overturned and new elections are called.
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Climate Activist Thunberg Joins Georgian Election Protest (Video)
The thousands of participant in the rally, which included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, gathered near the House of Justice and marched about 5 kilometers waving Georgian and European Union flags through the Georgian capital, before ending their protest on Tbilisi's Marjanishvili Square.
Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of Strong Georgia, said the protesters needed to "save their energy" for future rallies, noting plans were always announced 10 minutes ahead of time.
"The location will be announced, but our route will not be known to [the authorities]," Khazaradze said at the end of the demonstration on November 4. "We should revive the whole of Tbilisi in this way every day."
Thunberg expressed her support for the protest.
"I am here to support the fight for democracy and freedom of the Georgian people who have been standing up time and time again against the repression they are facing from the state," Thunberg said.
"I want to show that I am one of many tens of thousands of people who are standing up in the fight for democracy and freedom for the Georgian people," she was quoted as saying.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States had made clear it supports the people of Georgia and their hopes of joining the European Union and their "further integration with their Euro and Atlantic partners."
He told reporters at a briefing in Washington on November 4 that the United States responded to the government’s passage of a controversial "foreign influence" law and legislation curbing LGBT rights by suspending $95 million of the assistance and by putting other assistance under review.
"We will continue to look at whether there are additional measures that are appropriate and if so, we won’t hesitate to use them," Miller said.