Georgia president calls for fresh election after contested vote

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on Monday called for fresh parliamentary elections to resolve a crisis sparked by last month's vote denounced by the opposition as rigged in favour of the ruling party.

The European Union and the United States have called for a probe into electoral "irregularities" in the October 26 vote won by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The pro-Western opposition has refused to recognise the election result or enter the newly elected parliament, which it deems "illegitimate."

Zurabishvili — who is at loggerheads with the governing party — has also described the vote as illegitimate and accused Russia of interference.

Moscow has denied meddling.

At a press conference on Monday, Zurabishvili said the election was "controlled and manipulated by one party."

"This is why we are now facing a crisis," she said, adding that the country needs "new elections so that Georgia could have a legitimate parliament, a legitimate government."

"Our friends are here to join us in seeking out ways to help Georgia emerge from this crisis," Zurabishvili said, referring to a group of MPs from eight European countries —including France and Germany — who visited Georgia on Monday.

Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili refused to meet the delegation.

On Friday, EU chief Charles Michel said "there are serious suspicions of fraud, which require a serious investigation."