Student groups in Georgia on Sunday united in a manifesto condemning disputed parliamentary elections last month that gave victory to the Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party, while anti-government groups announced a "campaign of disobedience" in central Tbilisi for the next 24 hours.
The manifesto states that the government's "systematic rigging of the election reveals a crude attempt by the Georgian Dream party to take control of the country," Radio Free Europe's Georgian service reported.
"We will not give up the freedom of our country. As citizens of Georgia, we remain committed to democratic values and state interests," the manifesto reads. "We do not recognize the elections and the parliament according to the results of those elections...and we are ready to fight for our freedom and the freedom of our country!"
The manifesto also condemns, as it states, attacks on the education system through "discriminatory and selective decisions in the approval process" of entry into educational institutions and "the imposition of censorship in teaching".
"In the light of the repressive actions of imposing "Russian" laws and laws on censorship and other rights and freedoms, the fact of systematic election rigging reveals a crude attempt by the Georgian Dream to take over the country," the manifesto states.
The document was signed by 13 groups, including students from at least 13 Georgian universities.
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Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Saturday confirmed the results of the disputed October 26 election, despite weeks of opposition protests and accusations of widespread irregularities and Russian interference.
The pro-Moscow ruling Georgian Dream party won 53,93 percent of the vote against 37,79 percent of the votes collected by the opposition alliance, the CEC announced during a session that was briefly interrupted after opposition politician Davit Kirtadze sprayed CEC head Giorgi Kalandarishvili with black liquid and called him "dark spot".
Kirtadze's protest was aimed at pointing out the ink from the voting pens that was visible through the thin paper on the other side of some ballots. The opposition says this violated the secrecy of the disputed October 26 vote.
Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012, is the only party that recognized the election results. Pro-European president Salome Zourabishvili still refuses to recognize the outcome of the vote, which she said was heavily influenced by Russia.
The pro-European opposition is boycotting the new parliament, renouncing its mandates won in the Oct. 26 election, citing widespread irregularities, fraud and Russian interference.
EU and Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the election and the perceived irregularities.
Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but the "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures have put that goal in doubt.
The US announced in July that it would suspend more than $95 million in aid to the Georgian government, warning it that the country was experiencing a backsliding in democracy.
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