- Sainz wins Mexico Grand Prix as Norris makes most of Verstappen penalty
- Trump leads New York rally as Harris targets grassroots
- Injured Springbok Willemse to miss November Tests
- NFL Browns upset Ravens while Tagovailoa loses in comeback
- Yildiz saves Juve in eight-goal thriller at Inter as Napoli pull away
- Yildiz drags Juve back from brink in eight-goal thriller at Inter
- Ford added to England squad for New Zealand clash
- Faltering Atletico stumble again at Real Betis
- Ohtani to play World Series game three after injury scare - report
- In uncertain US election, two prestige papers refuse to pick sides
- England's Slade eager to face New Zealand after Exeter return
- 'Venom' still kills, topping N.American box office
- Liverpool hold Arsenal in Premier League title clash, Man Utd beaten
- Chelsea's Palmer reminds Maresca of Blues favourite Zola
- Salah strikes late as Liverpool snatch draw at title rivals Arsenal
- Egypt proposes two-day Gaza truce in hope of full ceasefire
- Ex-president of Bolivia blames government as shots fired at him
- Beaten Man Utd only lacking good fortune, claims Ten Hag
- Postecoglou says Spurs out-battled in Crystal Palace loss
- Malinin wins Skate Canada for North American Grand Prix double
- Mpetshi Perricard powers to 'amazing' first ATP 500 title in Basel
- Bayern thump Bochum to retake top spot
- West Ham pile more pressure on Ten Hag, Palmer fires Chelsea to victory
- Balotelli set for Italy return with injury-hit strugglers Genoa
- Japan ruling coalition projected to miss majority in election
- Draper holds off Khachanov for first ATP 500 title in Vienna
- Left seeks to unseat conservative in Uruguay president vote
- 'Failing' Judge vows to dig Yankees out of World Series hole
- Leon Marchand savours break from post-Olympics glare
- Ex-president of Bolivia says 14 shots fired at his car
- Netanyahu hails 'precise' strike on Iran as Israel pounds Lebanon, Gaza
- Steen Olsen wins World Cup opener as Hirscher wows on comeback
- Georgia thrown into political turmoil after disputed vote
- Syria Kurd force denies links to Ankara attack as Turkey strikes
- Thousands turn out for Thai royal barge pageantry
- Mbappe and Real Madrid shaken by Clasico thrashing
- An Byeong-hun triumphs after all-Korean playoff at Genesis Championship
- Real Madrid condemn racist abuse of Barca players in Clasico
- Israel pounds Gaza and Lebanon after Iran strikes
- Left-field thought and patio heaters: How Pakistan turned series on head
- 'Olympus has fallen': India fears end of an era after New Zealand loss
- Bagnaia wins wet Thai MotoGP ahead of title rival Martin
- Olympic champion Zheng hails consistency after Pan Pacific Open win
- Red-hot Yin Ruoning secures LPGA Malaysia title with flawless 65
- Echavarria birdies final hole to win PGA Tour's Zozo Championship
- Lithuanians vote in runoff as centre-left tipped to take power
- Trump takes election pitch to storied New York arena
- James triple-double helps Lakers hold off Kings, Clippers down Nuggets
- Olympic champion Zheng wins in Tokyo for third title of year
- Death toll in Philippine storm rises to 100
Georgia opposition calls election results protests as president accuses Russia
The Georgian opposition on Sunday called for protests and the European Union demanded an investigation into "irregularities" after a disputed legislative vote that showed a win for the ruling party accused of moving towards Russia's orbit.
Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili accused Moscow of being behind the election fraud, calling it a "Russian special operation".
Amid angry opposition claims over the result, Zurabishvili called for a rally on Monday. Jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili also called for mass protests.
The European Union had warned that Saturday's vote, seen as a crucial test of democracy in the Caucasus country, could determine Tbilisi's chances of joining the bloc.
EU council president Charles Michel wrote on X that Georgian authorities should "swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof.
"These alleged irregularities must be seriously clarified and addressed," he said.
After meeting with opposition leaders in Tbilisi, Zurabishvili said there had been a "total falsification of the election".
"We are witnesses and victims of a Russian special operation, a modern form of hybrid war against the Georgian people," she said.
International observers said Saturday's election was "marred by an uneven playing field, pressure and tension".
An EU parliament mission also expressed concern about "democratic backsliding", saying it had seen instances of "ballot box stuffing" and the "physical assault" of observers.
- 'Fighting for freedom' -
Saakashvili, who spearheaded the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, said on Facebook that opposition lawmakers should renounce their parliamentary seats.
"Now is the time for mass protests. We must show the world that we are fighting for freedom and that we are a people who will not tolerate injustice," he said.
Official tallies from more than 99 percent of precincts showed the ruling Georgian Dream party winning 54 percent of the vote, with the main pro-Western opposition coalition on 37.5 percent.
The result gives Georgian Dream 91 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the supermajority it had sought to pass a constitutional ban on all main opposition parties.
"Our victory is impressive," Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a statement, accusing the opposition of "undermining the country's constitutional order" by questioning his party's victory.
The government said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of the ruling party and current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, would visit Georgia on Monday and Tuesday.
Orban rushed to congratulate Georgian Dream for an "overwhelming victory" on Saturday after one exit poll showed the government in the lead and before preliminary results had been published.
Another exit poll by US pollster Edison Research had projected an opposition victory by an 11-percent margin.
- EU hopes 'dimmed' -
Opposition parties lined up to denounce the vote.
"This is an attempt to steal Georgia's future," said Tina Bokuchava, leader of Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM).
Nika Gvaramia, leader of the liberal Akhali party, called the way the vote was held "a constitutional coup" by the government.
Analyst Gela Vasadze of the Georgian Strategic Analysis Centre said the country was plunging "into political instability for an indefinite period" and that its EU hopes had "dimmed".
He said, however, that the opposition lacked "charismatic leaders who could channel popular anger into a protest wave capable of bringing about political change."
- 'Global war party' -
Georgia was gripped by mass demonstrations this year against what the opposition saw as government attempts to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of four million off its pro-Western course and towards Russia.
In power since 2012, Georgian Dream initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda.
But it has reversed course over the last two years.
Its campaign centred on a conspiracy theory about a "global war party" that controls Western institutions and is seeking to drag Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a country scarred by Russia's 2008 invasion, the party has offered voters bogeyman stories about an imminent threat of war, which only Georgian Dream could prevent.
Georgian Dream's controversial "foreign influence" law which targeted civil society sparked weeks of street protests and was criticised as a Kremlin-style measure to silence dissent.
The move prompted Brussels to freeze Georgia's EU accession process, while Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.
In a campaign against sexual minorities, the ruling party has adopted measures that ban LGBTQ "propaganda", nullify same-sex marriages conducted abroad, and outlaw gender reassignment.
R.J.Fidalgo--PC