Pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili’s party is one step away from winning the elections in Georgia

Pro-Russian Georgian Dream is one step away from winning legislative elections in Georgia. Formation of elite class, according to preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC) Bidzina Ivanishvili It received 53% of the vote, with more than 70% counted, compared to 38.27% of ballots submitted by the four main European opposition parties. He could continue to rule alone as before. Chairman of the electoral body, Giorgi KalandarishviliAssures that the data is based on votes from 2,206 electoral districts (out of a total of 3,111), and votes from other constituencies that voted without electronic technology are still being counted.

Georgian Dream declared itself the winner immediately after voting closed. According to first estimates by state television channel Imedi, the ruling party had received 56.1% of the vote, followed by the opposition Coalition for Change bloc with 12.6%. The numbers were not wrong. The current result guarantees Ivanishvili’s party a re-legitimizing absolute majority with almost 90 out of 150 seats in parliament, despite internal and external criticism for its authoritarian drift and its approach towards Russia. Vladimir Putin“It is a rare occasion in the world that a single party has succeeded even amidst such difficult circumstances,” the richest man in the Caucasian country boasted to his followers in Tbilisi.

Pro-European opposition, supported by the President Salome Zourabichvilihad also claimed victory on the basis of exit polls released by the respective pollsters. The head of state at Forum X predicted, “Despite attempts to rig the elections and without the votes of the diaspora, European Georgia wins with 52%.”

Leader of Unidad-UNM, Tina BokuchavaThere were celebrations after the polling stations closed that, “Despite the violence, Europe and the Georgian people have won.” Bokuchaeva, who predicted the end of the Ivanishvili era, stressed, “Not a particular party has won, but the European future of the country, and the opposition has won and the Georgian Dream has lost.” “In this election, the Georgian people voted for the coalition government.” Georgia Fuerte, leader of the liberal coalition, Mamuka Khazaradzealso congratulated voters “on the defeat of the Russian government in Georgia”, but asked election observers in the districts to “protect voters’ votes to the end, to the last moment.”

former prime minister only Giorgi Ghazaria Restrained sentiments in the opposition arena. The leader of the Social Democrats for Georgia, separate from Georgian Dream, indicated that the exit polls have a “reasonably” high margin of error. “That’s why there are such differences now,” he explained, pointing to contradictory results reported by media linked to the ruling party and opposition sectors. Ghazaria concluded, “All kinds of celebrations should happen later.”

Without counting migrant voters, the participation rate is 59%. Two points more than the last election in 2020. “It is now vital that we focus on vote counting processes and protecting the votes of the Georgian people in the country’s historically important elections,” he writes. Katie ShoshiashviliSenior corruption investigator at Transparency International.

“Premature Celebration.” The Central Election Commission is under the control of Georgian Dream. They will create the number that best suits Ivanishvili’s interests. Now everything depends on the opposition’s collective ability to challenge the CEC results. “Every vote must be protected,” analysts warn. alex melikishviliWhich condemns that “the development of today’s elections has been marred by numerous irregularities throughout the country. “Georgian Dream used old, cheap tricks (they did the same in 2020), including using the security service This also included intimidation of voters with the help of street thugs mobilized by the CPI(M).

The lack of certainty about the outcome did not stop the Hungarian Prime Minister, viktor orbanEven before the polling stations closed, publicly speak out to congratulate Ivanishvili on his formation. “Congratulations to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the Georgian Dream Party on their landslide victory in today’s parliamentary elections. “The people of Georgia know what is best for their country, and today they have made their voices heard!”, the Kremlin’s Another person close to the class, X, wrote on the social network.