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Georgia’s president says election ‘has been stolen’

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Zourabichvili served as the French ambassador to Georgia some two decades ago © Mirian Meladze/Anadolu/picture alliance

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili accused the ruling party Georgian Dream of choosing the path of dictatorship following the election in the ex-Soviet country.

 

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili told DW on Monday that the country’s election had been fraudulent and had been effectively stolen, calling on Georgians to take to the streets to reject the results.

The nation’s Central Electoral Commission said on Sunday that ruling party Georgian Dream won Saturday’s parliamentary election with more than 54% of the vote, a result that would represent a setback to pro-EU forces in the post-Soviet country.

The Georgian Dream party is seen as tending more toward Russia than the West, although they also claim to be interested in joining the EU.

Pro-Western opposition parties have rejected the preliminary result and announced protests.

Zourabichvili: ‘Georgian people on the streets will confirm’ election was stolen
President Salome Zourabichvili told DW that she rejected the official results, based on multiple reports of fraud.

“So this is an election that has been stolen and I think that the Georgian people on the streets will confirm this judgment.”

Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have said there was evidence of “democratic backsliding” in Georgia.

Its monitoring mission said it had noted cases of voter intimidation, vote buying and double voting, particularly in rural areas, and said the elections were marred by media polarization and hate speech directed both at the opposition and at civil society. However, the OSCE observers stopped short of saying the election was rigged.

Zourabichvili opposes coalition with Georgian Dream
The Georgian president ruled out the possibility of pro-European forces working with Georgian Dream.

“I think, first of all, there is no intention of the Georgian Dream to form a coalition with anyone,” Zourabichvili said.

“They have a majority, they had hoped for the constitutional majority, and I think that explains the extent of the violations that they were aiming at having 60% in order to carry on their program, which is to first impeach the president, then put the opposition forces in jail and judge some of the opposition parties,” she added.

Zourabichvili accused Georgian Dream of having chosen the path of dictatorship instead of democracy.

Demonstrations expected
Georgia’s pro-European coalition has called for people to take to the streets on Monday evening to reject the election results.

President Zourabichvili said Georgia’s future was at stake.

“I think that it’s the Georgian people that has to support this judgement because they are the ones that have seen their votes being stolen,” she said.

“They are the ones that are driven by force into a regime that will be more like Russia rather than like European democratic country,” she added.

Calls for renewed elections
Zourabichvili said political parties in Georgia will seek new elections with Europe’s support “so that we are sure that they are transparent and fair.”

Additionally, she called for Europe to hold the Georgian Dream ruling party accountable for the commitments it should be fulfilling.

“I think Brussels has to be very clear… about what it was asking from this government to deliver: the recommendations that were made by the European Commission, the rejection of all the Russian laws. And to hold free and fair elections,” Zourabichvili said.

“I think the government has not delivered on any of these,” she added.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

Author: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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PDP to screen Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday as its sole Presidential aspirant For 2027 race

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has scheduled to screen former president Goodluck Jonathan tomorrow, Tuesday, aMay 19, as the lone presidential candidate of party.

According to a statement from the PDP faction backed by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, former governor of Plateau State, Jona Jang and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi have been listed among a committee of 14 members to screen Jonathan described as a lone candidate by the party.

Other members of the committee were Chief Olabode George, Babangida Aliyu, Maryam ciroma, Zainab Maina, Josephine Anenin, Dr. Abdul Bulama, Dr. Esther Uduehi, Edo State PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, Dr. Sunday Solarium and Chief Anicho Okoro, who would serve as administrative secretary of the committee.

Last week, the national Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ini Ememobong, disclosed that former president Jonathan has successfully registered as a member of the party in the fresh digital registration exercise directed by INEC.

The PDP faction also announced that it was set to screen 748 house of representatives aspirants, 198 senatorial aspirants, and 112 governorship aspirants.

The screening committee would screen 2122 states houses of assembly aspirants. The exercise will commence tomorrow, Tuesday in different states.

According to the statement, the screening exercise would take place nationwide on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

The statement said the Interim National Working Committee (iNWC) has also released the names of members to serve on the Screening Committees and Screening Appeal Panels.

It added that the publication of the screening details “is in accordance with the party’s guidelines and timetable for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.”

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Oshiomhole wins Edo APC senatorial primaries unopposed

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A former governor and incumbent Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, along with his counterpart Senator Joe Ikpea, sailed through the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Edo unopposed, and securing their tickets without a single vote cast against them.

Also Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama emerged the winner in the APC primary for the Edo South senatorial district.

Ogbeide-Ihama won in the seven local government areas of Edo South in the results announced by the Chairman of APC National Assembly Primary Election, Muhammed Ajana at the Urokpota Hall, Benin.

He polled 27,154 votes while his opponents, Senator Neda Imasuen, got 13,580, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu got 6785.

The elections were hitch-free in Edo North and Edo Central, where there was no contest against the incumbents, Senators Oshiomhole of Edo North and Ikpea of Edo Central, respectively.

Ajana at the Urokpota Hall said the collation arose from votes cast in the seven local government areas made up of 77 wards where elections were conducted by members of the committee.

He said, “There are seven local governments that make up the Edo South Senatorial District. We have heard from the Returning officers from the seven local government areas. From the collation, the cumulative result we have for Edo South Senatorial District is this; Ogbeide-Ihama with 27,154 votes, Imasuen with 13,580 votes and Ize-Iyamu with 6, 785.

“This is the total reflection of what has transpired from the ward level to the local government and the Edo South senatorial district collation centre. With this we await further directives from the National Secretariat, we have done our best by collating the results which is our mandate, to collate the results and send them to the National Secretariat.”

However, it was gathered that Ize-Iyamu emerged as the APC candidate for Edo South Senatorial race. He claimed to have clinched the party’s ticket after defeating Ogbeide-Ihama and Imasuen.

It was claimed that the Chief Returning Officer, Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, officially declared Ize-Iyamu the winner after securing the highest number of votes cast.

On his part, the senator representing the district condemned the exercise describing it as a sham allegedly designed to favour a preferred aspirant.

Imasuen spoke while reacting to events at his polling unit in Umagbae North Ward 5, Urhokuosa where he said he was denied the opportunity to vote following what he described as a chaotic and manipulated process.

The lawmaker accused leaders of the party of openly adopting a preferred candidate ahead of the exercise and intimidating members into supporting that aspirant.

He said, “There is nothing satisfactory about this sham of election they did today and it is very unfortunate because as a loyal party member, I expected something better than this.”

He said the warning signs emerged days before the primary when some ward chairmen allegedly informed him that they had been directed not to receive him during consultations.

Imasuen claimed that some ward leaders openly told him the party had already adopted a preferred aspirant, identified as Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, making further consultations unnecessary.

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Ajuloopin Suffers Setback as Home Ward Rejects Third Term Return Bid in Kwara APC Primary

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The re-election bid of the member representing Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, popularly known as Ajuloopin, suffered a major setback on Friday after party members in his home ward, Omu-Aran Ward 1, boycotted the All Progressives Congress APC House of Representatives primary.

According to party stakeholders and observers present at the exercise, no valid election took place in the ward after members refused to participate in protest against what they described as the lawmaker’s poor performance after three consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

Sources in the ward said efforts by some political figures and loyalists to persuade members to back Ajuloopin’s ambition failed, with party faithful insisting they would not endorse what they termed an attempt to impose his candidacy again.

The boycott led to a breakdown of the electoral process in Omu-Aran Ward 1, with many members staying away from the polls entirely. Stakeholders have called on the APC Electoral Committee to disregard any result purportedly presented from the ward, arguing that no credible primary was conducted there.

Political observers in the constituency described the development as a significant blow to Ajuloopin, noting that the rejection came from his own ward and among constituents most familiar with his record.

Preliminary reports from other parts of Irepodun, Isin and Oke-Ero local government areas, where voting proceeded, also indicated weak support for the incumbent. Many party members were said to have voted for alternative aspirants.

APC stakeholders have urged the party leadership to review reports from affected wards and accept only authentic and verifiable results to preserve the credibility of the primaries. They stressed that internal democracy was critical to the party’s prospects in the constituency and warned against imposing unpopular candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

With tension rising across the federal constituency, party faithful said the leadership must listen to grassroots members and allow delegates and supporters to determine the outcome of the primaries.

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