Both sides declare victory in Georgia's pivotal vote on European future

Competing exit polls indicate that Georgia’s increasingly authoritarian ruling party, Georgian Dream, is positioned to lead in a crucial election on the nation’s European future. However, the polls diverge on which side could secure a majority.

The ruling Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, and opposition groups aiming to end the party’s 12-year rule declared victory on Oct. 26.

Opposition-aligned TV channels reported Georgian Dream with 40.9% of the vote, while the combined total for four opposition groups was at 51.9%. Meanwhile, the pro-government Imedi TV gave Georgian Dream a higher 56%.

Under Georgia’s updated electoral system, the party with at least half the vote claims half of the 150 seats in parliament.

Although Georgia achieved EU candidate status last December, the European Union has since suspended the process due to "democratic backsliding" and the passage of a Russian-style "foreign influence" law targeting groups receiving Western funding.

Election monitors reported various violations across the country, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation. Less than an hour before polls closed, President Salome Zourabichvili, known for her pro-Western stance, urged opposition voters not to be intimidated. "Don't get scared. All this is just psychological pressure on you," she said in a live address on social media.

Large numbers of Georgians participated in the election on Oct. 26, despite reports of violence near polling stations. Two people were hospitalized, and Georgian Dream supporters attacked the headquarters of the main opposition party, BBC reported.

In one incident, an opposition official south of Tbilisi told the BBC he was first assaulted by a local Georgian Dream council member and then by "another 10 men came and I didn’t know what was happening to me."

The opposition has framed this high-stakes vote as a choice between Europe and Russia. Should the exit polls favoring the opposition prove accurate, they could end Georgian Dream’s 12-year tenure. Final projected results are expected soon.

Polling station closed in southern Georgia during election following reported ballot stuffing

Footage surfaced earlier on Oct. 26 of an individual stuffing the ballot box at the polling station in the southern Georgian city of Marnueli.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

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