Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party secured over 54% of the vote in a parliamentary election, according to the electoral commission. The outcome is disappointing for pro-Western Georgians, who viewed the election as a choice between a ruling party that has strengthened ties with Russia and an opposition that aimed to accelerate integration with the European Union.
Various local and international monitoring groups, including the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), are expected to comment on the results. Despite this, opposition parties have already stated that they do not accept the outcome, with one leader describing it as “a constitutional coup”.
Georgian Dream’s founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, celebrated the victory, highlighting the party’s strong performance and significant support in rural areas. Ivanishvili emphasized the achievement as a testament to the talent of the Georgian people, particularly in challenging circumstances.
Georgian Dream has expressed its desire for Georgia to join the European Union. However, Brussels has raised concerns about the party’s authoritarian tendencies, leading to a freeze on the country’s membership application.
While a local monitoring organization has called for the annulment of the results citing voter intimidation and vote-buying, concrete evidence of widespread falsification has yet to be provided. In a separate development, Moldova recently voted in favor of its European Union accession, a decision that officials claim was impacted by Russian interference.