Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, has secured over 54% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the electoral commission, CNBC reports.
This outcome is seen as a setback for pro-Western supporters who viewed the election as a choice between the ruling party’s growing ties with Russia and the opposition’s push for faster integration with the European Union. Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili celebrating the party’s strongest performance since 2012, claiming substantial support in rural areas.
Election monitoring group ISFED reported violations, including ballot-stuffing, voter intimidation, and bribery, although it did not observe significant irregularities during the vote counting process. The Georgian Dream party and the electoral commission claimed the election was free and fair. Meanwhile, the main opposition parties rejected the results, with one leader labeling them as a “constitutional coup.”
Georgian Dream says it supports EU membership, but the EU has frozen Georgia’s application over authoritarian concerns.
