Zourabichvili Concedes Defeat in Polls
The leader of the Georgia?s Way opposition party, ex-Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili, said her ?party has lost? in the October 5 local self-governance elections and denounced the election process as ?undemocratic.?
?According to our information we have garnered up to 3% [of the votes]… These were undemocratic elections that were managed by the entire state apparatus, but nevertheless, the fact is that we have lost in this undemocratic election and the first principle of democracy is to admit that you have lost. Of course, when the party is in last place it means a defeat,? Zourabichvili said at a news conference on October 6.
With most of the ballots cast in Tbilisi already counted, Georgia?s Way received 2,9% of votes, according to the Central Election Commission. Zourabichvili was running for the position of Tbilisi mayor.
But Zourabichvili also said that in a long-term perspective 3% of votes can not be regarded as a defeat for the party, which has been set up just recently. ?We have much work ahead,? Zourabichvili said.
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