Last updated on November 8th, 2024 at 02:21 pm
Georgian Dream, the ruling party of Georgia, declared victory in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results that showed it leading with 54% of the vote, said the central election commission. The opposition, however, sharply contested the results, citing widespread irregularities, including reports of voter intimidation and vote-rigging, which cast a cloud over the transparency of the electoral process. The election is crucial as the country balances its aspirations for a European Union relationship with internal pressures for a “pragmatic” relationship with Russia, a stance Georgian Dream has publicly supported.
Prominent opposition leaders, including United National Movement leader Tina Bokuchava, have rejected the outcome of the vote, referring to the election as “stolen” and charging that Georgian Dream has perpetrated a “constitutional coup.” Meanwhile, the ruling party insists its victory reflects public endorsement of peace and stability over what it describes as opposition-inspired foreign interference.
Exit polls had predicted a tight finish, with some even forecasting an opposition victory by an inch. Preliminary numbers put Georgian Dream in an easy lead, a disconnect opposition groups and voting monitors say as proof of a botched poll. There were reports of ballot stuffing and violence from some polling stations, observers said, while opposition supporters, including United National Movement chairman Azat Karimov of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, said they were attacked by Georgian Dream-leaning people while trying to chronicle vote tampering and other election abuses.
The oppositionists perceive this election as the turning point for Georgia’s possible forever membership in Europe. The Brussels, responding to concerns about democratic backsliding, had suspended Georgia’s accession process into the European Union. Georgian Dream is still pressing its case for membership, but that has only come to be tainted with claims of Russian influence and anti-Western rhetoric seemingly contradictory to all those promises.
With rising geopolitical tensions and claims of foreign interference on both sides, the outcome might determine Georgia’s path in an increasingly divided region. Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili has emphasized the country’s need for peace by positioning his party as the shield against foreign pressure while opposition leaders have vowed to resist what they term is a slippage toward authoritarianism.
The contest is high-stakes, as Georgia remains in the struggle between pursuing European integration and managing its complex relationship with Moscow, which still occupies parts of Georgian territory after the 2008 war.
