Georgia’s opposition disputed the results of Saturday’s (Oct 26, 2024) election after officials said the ruling party was ahead in a crucial election that could decide whether the country will embrace the West or return to Russia’s orbit.
Many Georgians see the vote as a make-or-break referendum on their chances of joining the European Union. Preliminary figures show the highest turnout since the ruling Georgian Dream party was first elected in 2012.
The Central Election Commission of Georgia said Georgian Dream won 52.99% with a majority of the votes counted. Not all ballots and votes cast by Georgians abroad have been counted, and it is unclear when the final results may be announced.
Georgian Dream stood against the four main opposition groups, which indicated that they did not accept the result. The opposition initially declared victory shortly after polls closed at 8 pm local time (16.00 GMT).
If Georgian Dream’s victory is confirmed, the party will have a parliamentary majority, raising fears about the country’s bid for EU membership. The party has grown increasingly authoritarian, passing laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on free speech. After one such law was passed earlier this year, Brussels suspended Georgia’s EU membership process.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream, claimed victory almost immediately after the polls closed and said, “It is rare in the world that the same party succeeds in difficult circumstances.”
Tina Bokuchava, head of the United National Movement opposition party, accused the CEC of carrying out Mr. Ivanishvili’s “dirty orders” and said he “stole victory from the Georgian people and thereby stole the future of Europe.”
He said the opposition would not recognize the result and “will fight like never before to seize the future of our Europe.”
Georgia election observers who deployed thousands of people across the country to monitor the vote said there were numerous irregularities and the results “did not correspond to the will of the Georgian people.”
The pre-election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, has been dominated by foreign policy and marked by fierce battles for votes and accusations of smear campaigns.
Some Georgians complained of being intimidated and forced to vote for Georgian Dream, while the opposition accused the party of waging a “hybrid war” against its citizens.
The largest opposition party, the United National Movement, said its headquarters were attacked on polling day. Georgian media also reported two people were hospitalized after being attacked outside a polling station, one in the western city of Zugdidi and the other in Marneuli, a town south of the capital, Tbilisi.
There were also reports of numerous voting irregularities.
One of the videos shared on social media on Saturday (October 27, 2024) also shows a man filling a ballot box at a polling station in Marneuli. Georgia’s Interior Ministry said it was launching an investigation and the Central Election Commission said a criminal case had been opened and all results from polling stations would be declared invalid.
Ahead of the parliamentary election, Mr Ivanishvili – the shadowy billionaire who set up the Georgian Dream and made his fortune in Russia – vowed again to ban opposition parties if his party won.
Georgian Dream will hold the opposition party “fully responsible under the force of law” for the “war crimes” committed against the Georgian people, Mr Ivanishvili said at a pro-government rally in Tbilisi on Wednesday. He did not explain what crimes he believed the opposition had committed.
Many believe the election is the most important vote since Georgia gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili described it as an “existential election.”
Georgians want “European integration, want to move forward and want policies that will bring a better and more stable future,” said 29-year-old Qristine Tordia. The Associated Press shortly after the vote in Tbilisi.
About 80% of Georgians favor joining the EU, according to opinion polls, and the country’s constitution obliges leaders to become members of the bloc and NATO.
But Brussels put Georgia’s bid to join the EU on hold indefinitely after the ruling party passed a “Russian law” cracking down on freedom of speech in June. Many Georgians fear that the Georgian Dream is dragging the country into authoritarianism and killing any hope of joining the EU.
The election “is not only about changing the Government, but about whether Georgia can survive or not because Ivanishvili’s government means Russia,” said Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change, an opposition group before the polls closed.
Mr Ivanishvili voted on Saturday (October 27, 2024) morning under tight security. He did not respond when asked by the AP if he wanted to form an alliance with Russia.
He said the election was a choice between “a government that will serve you,” or “elect an agent from a foreign country who will only fulfill the demands of a foreign country.” Mr. Ivanishvili did not indicate which country he was going to, but ahead of the election, he and officials claimed that the “Global War Party” was seeking to influence the EU and the US, widen the conflict in Ukraine, and force the Georgian Dream from power.
The opposition parties ignored Zourabichvili’s plea to unite into a single party, but signed his “charter” to implement the reforms needed by the European Union to join.
The ruling and opposition parties have told voters they will pursue EU membership even though legislation passed by Georgian Dream has put those hopes on hold.
At an EU summit last week, EU leaders said they had “serious concerns about the actions taken by the Georgian government.”
Georgian Dream stands against three coalitions: National Movement of Unity, Coalition for Change Lelo, and Strong Georgia.
Gakharia’s Party for Georgia, founded by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, said it would not form an alliance with anyone, but would support the opposition to form a government if it won enough votes.
Published – 27 October 2024 10:58 IST
