TBILISI — Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has won more than 54% of the vote in Saturday’s parliamentary election, with over 99% of precincts counted, the electoral commission announced on Sunday. The results are a setback for Georgia’s pro-Western opposition, which had aimed to advance the country’s EU integration efforts.
The opposition has rejected the results, with one leader describing the outcome as a “constitutional coup.” Georgian Dream’s founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, celebrated the win, highlighting the party’s strong rural support and asserting that the success demonstrated “the talent of the Georgian people.”
Despite Georgian Dream’s claim of seeking EU membership, the European Union has suspended Georgia’s accession application, citing concerns over alleged authoritarian practices. International observers, including the OSCE, are expected to comment on the election’s integrity, with local monitoring groups citing reports of voter intimidation and calling for annulment, though no large-scale evidence of falsification has been presented.
This election follows Moldova’s recent, narrow vote for EU accession amid claims of Russian interference, reflecting regional tensions between pro-Western and pro-Russian influences in Eastern Europe.