Supporters of the Georgian Dream party celebrated at the party’s headquarters in Tbilisi, Georgia, following the announcement of exit polls from the parliamentary elections held on October 26, 2024. With over 99% of the precincts counted, Georgia’s ruling party secured more than 54% of the vote, according to the electoral commission. This outcome is seen as a setback for pro-Western Georgians, who viewed the election as a crucial choice between the incumbent party, which has strengthened ties with Russia, and the opposition, which aimed for rapid integration with the European Union.
Monitoring bodies, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), are expected to provide their remarks on the election results. Meanwhile, opposition parties have refused to recognize the results, with one opposition leader describing the election outcome as “a constitutional coup.”
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Georgian Dream’s founder, the reclusive billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who campaigned on keeping Georgia out of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, claimed victory on Saturday night. Ivanishvili highlighted the party’s robust performance, noting huge vote margins of up to 90% in some rural areas. He praised the success as a testament to the “talent of the Georgian people” under challenging circumstances.
Although Georgian Dream intends for Georgia to join the European Union, the country’s membership application is currently stalled due to what Brussels describes as the ruling party’s authoritarian tendencies. Meanwhile, leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change, such as Nika Melia and Nika Gvaramia, along with Nana Malashkhia, reacted to the exit poll results in Tbilisi.
A local monitoring organization has called for the annulment of the results, citing reports of voter intimidation and vote-buying, though no substantial evidence of widespread falsification has been presented. This political backdrop in Georgia follows Moldova’s recent narrow vote to approve EU accession, which Moldovan officials reported was tainted by Russian interference.
Original Story https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/26/georgia-faces-an-uncertain-future-as-all-sides-claim-election-victory.html
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