Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, won this weekend’s elections with over 54% of the vote.
But the pro-Western opposition refuses to accept the result, and the country’s president goes so far as to claim that they are “victims of a Russian special operation”.
According to the country’s electoral authority, Georgian Dream won a clear majority of the vote, while the four main opposition parties together received around 38% – but the election was chaotic as both the ruling party and the opposition declared themselves the winners on Saturday night.
– We do not accept stolen election results and we are not going to recognize these stolen results. The victory won by the Georgian people does not belong to any one party, but belongs to the entire country and the opposition, which was jointly given a mandate of trust by the Georgian people, said opposition leader Tina Bokuchava.
The opposition, which wants Georgia to move closer to the EU and the West, claims that the vote count was rigged and the results manipulated – allegations that are denied by the election authorities.
The country’s president, Salomé Zurabishvili, who also belongs to the opposition, claims without presenting any evidence that the election results were manipulated by Russian interference.
– We became witnesses and victims of a Russia special operation, she said, calling on opposition supporters to protest in the capital on Monday.
Supporters of Georgia’s ruling party “Georgian Dream – for Democracy” and its leadership began to celebrate their victory in the parliamentary elections.
Looks like Georgia will not join the EU, will not become a proxy against Russia and the ban on LGBT will not be reverted. pic.twitter.com/xBMkuL81xi
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) October 26, 2024
Risk of violence
Already on Saturday, there were reports of violence and clashes outside several polling stations as opposition and government supporters clashed, and it is considered likely that the situation will escalate further on the streets today and in the coming week.
The pro-Western opposition and its allies in the EU and the US have long criticized the Georgian Dream for refusing to impose sanctions on Russia or cease trade and other cooperation, and the party has frequently been described as “pro-Russian”.
The ruling party’s own representatives say they are on the side of the Georgian people, and that the opposition parties want to drag the country into war with its neighbor Russia.
According to observers, the Georgian Dream’s success is largely due to its focus on strengthening Georgian identity and traditions and the conservative world in general. It has also promised to invest in economic development and poverty reduction.
It should also be noted that Western organizations such as the OSCE and NATO have also publicly made allegations of irregularities linked to the elections and that the EU is calling for a thorough investigation of the electoral process.
Moldova said yes to the EU
Moldova also held an important election recently, with a referendum on 20 October on future EU membership and the inclusion of EU provisions in the country’s constitution. The referendum was very close, but according to official data, the “yes” side narrowly won with 50.2% to 49.6% of the vote.
Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied for NATO membership, and although negotiations have not yet started, the country’s leaders are hopeful that membership will be granted before 2030.
NEW:
Georgia said “NO” to the EU and voted for the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party today, despite the huge amounts of money NATO and Soros poured into the country.
This slap is the second in a week after the one in Moldova.
Kakha Kaladze, the Georgian Dream Secretary… pic.twitter.com/A2ozn00YZH
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) October 26, 2024
