@SouprMatt;
@Pumbaa;
@P___X, and, indeed, anyone else who may find this of interest:
My friend who had observed the elections in Georgia (a retired Army officer) cancelled our original coffee appointment, (he had to attend a funeral); however, (eventually) we managed to meet and enjoyed a most pleasant lunch in a lovely, Regency building (a gloriously worn and slightly crooked wooden floor, sash windows, high ceilings, mismatched chairs), beside the river, close to the Courthouse, where we had a terrific chat, and found ourselves pretty much in agreement.
Earlier, he had spent some years in Georgia with the EU, is knowledgeable about the country, and I would trust his take, his judgment, and his sense of what is happening.
Anyway, my original comment still stands: This is considerably more nuanced than has been reported.
As an aside, I really detest these click-baiting, drama-seeking (and invariably uninformed) headlines, shouting a simplistic (and uninformed) and usually completely crude conclusion based on the most spurious evidence.
The election was not "rigged", not in the classical sense. However, this does not necessarily mean (and nor does it exclude the possibility) that the authorities did not abuse their advantageous position with a view to seeking to consolidate their political power.
Nevertheless, this sort of hysterical headline overlooks (or conveniently ignores) a few salient points which are worth noting, or taking into consideration, when one gives (serious) thought to the outcome of the Georgian election, rather than rushing to label it "rigged".
Firstly, are the numerous roles that have been played by Mikheil Saakashvili (who is, yes, currently behind bars in Georgia), and who has been described as a "divisive" individual; notwithstanding the fact that he is currently behind bars, he is still viewed as one of the most influential political actors in the country, and is thought to still wield considerable influence in the UNM (United National Movement - his political party, at present one of the main opposition groups in Georgia).
Secondly, is the memory of the brief (yet traumatic) conflict of 2008: According to the report the EU released a year after the conflict (the Tagliavini Report), in essence, Georgia started the war (yes, they were provoked, but also, yes, they started it), while the Russian response was deemed disproportionate and excessive.
Put another way, from a military perspective, Georgia were not just defeated, but were destroyed. The recent war in Ukraine has brought that period back sharply into focus in people's minds, if not in some of the more moronic western reporting of the election.
Now, it may be worth noting that Mr Saakashvili was President of Georgia during that conflict, (and again, I will remind you that he actually started that conflict - my personal view, or sense, is that he thought that the west would support him, and hoped to railroad them into doing so) he has also, more recently, held positions in Ukraine (it is of interest that Ukraine was one of the places where he had actually studied as a student - the US - Colombia - was another) that were deemed quite controversial. Moreover, he enjoys exceptionally close (if sometimes, controversial), ties with Ukraine, and is very supportive of President Zelensky.
More to the point, Georgians - who do view themselves as culturally western (a view that I, personally, sometimes take profound issue with - in rural areas, this is an extraordinarily repressive and patriarchal society; once you drive around 50km outside Tbilisi, both distance and time are traversed, and, in some rural regions, it is as though you have travelled back several centuries in time), and support the idea of (eventual) EU membership, are not so much ambivalent about NATO membership as downright conflicted, not least as the outcome (of the war in Ukraine) is not clear, and they do not wish to be on the receiving end of (yet) another Russian "special military operation".
There is currently a war in Ukraine, (which Georgia, and Georgians, are following closely; and yes, Ukraine did support Georgia - politically - strongly both in 2003-2004 - the "colour" revolutions - the Rose and Orange 'revolutions", and again, offered robust support after 2008), but they, themselves, were militarily annihilated and comprehensively defeated when they faced the same enemy that Ukraine is currently fighting; thus, in other words, without it being explicitly stated, Saakashvili's judgment may be considered questionable, which means that returning him (and his party) to power may not necessarily be in Georgia's best interests.
And thirdly, this overlooks entirely the utterly intemperate tone in which political debate is carried out in Georgia. Street demonstrations - and disputing electoral outcomes - are almost standard, de rigueur, and considered normal for that polity and society. In my time there, I found it - the intemperate tone and tenor of much of what passed for political debate - extraordinarily tiresome.
Almost the first (not, note, the last) insult that a surprising number of political leaders addressing their supporters (by way of attacking their political opponents) tended to reach for, was "Hitler", (not "Stalin", who was, after all, the local boy made good), which inevitably begged the question of where one could go if one sought to verbally escalate the argument before violence broke out (or was encouraged to do so).
Thus, for the opposition to shout about "rigged" elections is exactly what passes for normal discourse in that society.
Notwithstanding the above, as I may have mentioned earlier, that does not - in any way - excuse or exculpate the Government, whom I do believe sought to press (if not abuse) every advantage they had (the practice of clientelism was both very pronounced and very prevalent in some of the rural parts of the country, for example), in order to secure electoral victory.
Moreover, the incumbent Government (and their sinister eminence grise, Bidzina Ivanishvili), are also caught on the horns of a dilemma; they, themselves, may be passionately pro-Russian and may well wish to tilt Georgia - politically - back into the orbit of the former superpower, but the electorate is not - not remotely - pro-Russian, and has no desire to return to that past (unlike - and in stark contrast to - some of the inhabitants of eastern Ukraine, for example).
