The ruling Georgian Dream party won more than 54 percent of the votes in the parliamentary elections held on Saturday, after the votes from more than 99 percent of the polling stations were counted, the election commission announced today, Reuters reports.
The results are a blow to pro-Western Georgians, who framed the election as a choice between a ruling party that deepened ties with Russia and an opposition that hoped for accelerated integration with the European Union (EU).
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Several local and international monitoring organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), are expected to comment on the results today.
Opposition parties said on Saturday that they do not recognize the results, and one opposition leader called the results a "constitutional coup".
But billionaire Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, who campaigned hard to keep Georgia out of the war in Ukraine, said on Saturday night that he had succeeded, with his party achieving its biggest win since 2012 with 90 percent of the vote. in some rural areas.
"It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation – it is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people," Ivanishvili told supporters on Saturday evening.
Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream says it wants Georgia to join the EU, although Brussels says the country's membership application has been frozen because of Georgian Dream's alleged authoritarian tendencies.
A local election monitoring organization called for the results to be annulled following reports of voter intimidation and vote-buying, but did not immediately provide evidence of large-scale fraud.
"As the results show, Georgian Dream secured a solid majority" in the new parliament, Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of that party, told reporters, Beta agency reports.
Radio Free Europe (RSE) reports that the pro-Russian party Georgian Dream should expand its control over parliament, according to preliminary results of Saturday's elections. However, due to the huge difference in the results compared to the exit polls, the pro-Western opposition declared the elections "stolen".
RSE also reports that according to the results published by the Central Election Commission, four opposition parties crossed the five percent threshold to enter parliament.
The opposition Coalition for Changes, Unity - To Save Georgia, Strong Georgia and the party For Georgia together won just over 37 percent of the vote.
Exit polls conducted on behalf of pro-government and opposition organizations showed, however, significantly different results.
While Georgian Dream won 56 percent in an exit poll conducted by the pro-government Imedij television, it did not get more than 42 percent in two opposition exit polls.
The final results are expected to be announced today.
According to preliminary results, Georgian Dream should have 89 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to hold the government, but not enough for an absolute majority that would allow the party to make major constitutional changes.
The United National Movement, which leads the Unity to Save Georgia coalition, immediately rejected the results announced by Georgian election authorities.
"We announce on behalf of the United National Movement that we do not accept the results of stolen elections and we do not intend to recognize the outcome of these stolen elections," said party president Tina Bokučava in the early morning hours of October 27.
She called on other opposition parties to take a stand against the announced results, adding that "large protests" were likely later in the day.
Mamuka Hazaradze, the leader of Strong Georgia, insisted that the opposition had won the election, which is crucial for the Caucasian country's future path in Europe.
"I congratulate the defeat of the Russian government in Georgia," he said after the polls closed.
Nika Gvaramia, a member of the Coalition for Change, said his group would not recognize the announced outcome, calling the process a "coup".
For the first time, Georgia used a new system of electronic ballot counting -- with a paper backup -- allowing results to be announced just hours after the polls closed at 20 p.m. local time. The Election Commission announced that there were only minor omissions.
Initial results were based on electronic vote counting, which was expected to be completed on election night. Manual vote counting, as well as counting of polling stations that did not have electronic voting systems, is expected to be completed on the morning of October 27.
Turnout was almost 59 percent, the Central Election Commission said, more than in the 2020 and 2016 elections, but about two percent less than in 2012, when Georgian Dream came to power.
Ivanishvili, the pro-European opposition and foreign diplomats considered the election a turning point that will decide whether Georgia will move closer to the West and the EU or turn to Moscow, while Russia's war in Ukraine continues.
Many expected Georgian Dream's victory announcement to spark protests, given the deep opposition to the party among many in Tbilisi. In the spring, the city witnessed large demonstrations against the adoption of the notorious "foreign agents" law. But shortly before midnight, masses of people were not seen on the streets.
If the preliminary results are confirmed, the Georgian Dream will now be able to elect a new president of the state, who has a more ceremonial role. The elections will be held within 45 days of the first session of the newly elected parliament.
For the first time, the head of state will not be elected by the citizens, but by the members of the electoral college - members of the parliament, higher representative bodies of the autonomous republics of Abkhazia and Adjara, and members of the representative bodies of local self-government bodies.
Last Sunday, Moldova narrowly voted to approve EU accession in a vote that Moldovan officials said was marred by Russian interference.
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