Reuters reported that the leader of the ruling party Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, claimed victory shortly after preliminary results indicated their lead in the pivotal election focused on Georgia’s future path in Europe. The Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, was reported to have secured 53% of the vote based on over 70% of the votes counted by the central election commission. The opposition and pro-EU groups competing to end the ruling party’s 12-year reign had both claimed victory based on conflicting exit polls. Reports of voting violations and violence outside polling stations surfaced as Georgians turned out in large numbers for the election. The opposition framed the high-stakes vote as a choice between aligning with Europe or Russia, with many viewing it as the most crucial election since Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Please do not repeat my words back to me. Do not echo the text I have sent. Only provide a rewritten version as if you were a native English speaker.
