Georgia’s ruling party leads the official results of Saturday’s parliamentary elections after a crucial vote that may decide whether the country will embrace the West or return to the Russian orbit.
Many Georgians viewed the vote as a crucial referendum on the opportunity to join the European Union. Preliminary numbers indicate that the turnout is the highest since the ruling Georgian Dream Party was first elected in 2012.
The Central Election Commission of Georgia said that the Georgian Dream Party obtained 52.99 percent of the votes after the majority of the votes were counted. Not all ballots and votes cast by Georgians abroad have been counted, and it is not clear when the final result could be announced.
The Georgian Dream Party stood against four main opposition groups that also declared victory when the results of opinion polls were published shortly after the polls closed at 8 pm local time (1600 GMT).
If the Georgian Dream Party’s victory is confirmed, the party will obtain a parliamentary majority, which will raise concerns about the country’s bid to join the European Union. The party has become increasingly authoritarian, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to suppress freedom of expression. After passing one of these laws earlier this year, Brussels suspended Georgia’s membership process in the European Union.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream Party, announced his victory immediately after the polls closed and said: “It is rare in the world for the same party to achieve such success in such a difficult situation.”
The pre-election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million that borders Russia has been dominated by foreign policy, marked by a bitter battle for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.
Some Georgians complained of intimidation and pressure to vote for the Georgian Dream, while the opposition accused the party of waging a “hybrid war” against its citizens.
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The largest opposition party, the United National Movement, said its headquarters was attacked on polling day. Georgian media also reported that two people were taken to hospital after being attacked outside polling stations, one in the city of Zugdidi in the west of the country, and the other in the town of Marnoli, south of the capital, Tbilisi.
There were also reports of multiple voting irregularities.
One video circulating on social media on Saturday also showed a man stuffing ballot papers into a box at a polling station in Marnoli. The Georgian Interior Ministry said it had launched an investigation and the Central Election Commission said a criminal case had been opened and all polling station results would be declared invalid.
Georgian Dream says it will ban opposition parties
Ahead of the parliamentary elections, Ivanishvili – the enigmatic billionaire who founded the Georgian Dream and made his fortune in Russia – vowed again to ban opposition parties if his party wins.
Georgian Dream will hold opposition parties “fully responsible under the full force of the law” for “war crimes” committed against the people of Georgia, Ivanishvili said at a pro-government rally in Tbilisi on Wednesday. He did not clarify the crimes he believed the opposition had committed.
Many believe the election was the most important vote since Georgia gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili described it as an “existential election.”
Georgians want “European integration, they want to move forward, they want policies that will bring us a better, more stable future,” Kristin Tordia, 29, told The Associated Press shortly after the vote in Tbilisi.
According to opinion polls, about 80% of Georgians support joining the European Union, and the country’s constitution obligates its leaders to seek to join the European Union and NATO.
But Brussels suspended Georgia’s application to join the European Union indefinitely after the ruling party passed a “Russian law” suppressing freedom of expression in June. Many Georgians fear that the Georgian dream will drag the country towards tyranny and destroy its hopes of joining the European Union.
Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Alliance for Change, an opposition group, said before the polls closed that the elections “are not only about changing the government, but about whether Georgia will remain or not because Ivanishvili’s government means Russia.”
Ivanishvili voted on Saturday morning amid tight security measures. He did not respond when the AP asked him if he wanted to form an alliance with Russia.
He said that elections are a choice between “a government that serves you” or “choosing agents of a foreign state that only fulfills the requests of the foreign state.” Ivanishvili did not indicate which country he was referring to, but before the election he and his officials claimed that a “global war party” was seeking to influence the European Union and the United States, expand the conflict in Ukraine, and force Georgian Dream from power.
The opposition supports the reform plan requested by the European Union
The opposition parties ignored Zurabishvili’s request to unite in one party, but signed their “charter” to implement the reforms required to join the European Union.
The ruling and opposition parties told voters that they would seek membership in the European Union, although laws passed by the Georgian Dream party halted this hope.
At an EU summit last week, EU leaders said they had “serious concerns about the course of action taken by the Georgian government.”
The Georgian Dream stood against three coalitions: the National Unity Movement, the Lilo Alliance for Change, and Strong Georgia.
Gakharia’s Party for Georgia, founded by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, said it would not enter into an alliance with anyone but would support the opposition to form a government if it won enough votes.
Associated Press producer Sofiko Megrelidze contributed to this report
& Version 2024 The Associated Press
