The ruling Georgian Dream Party has claimed victory in the elections by securing a majority of 53 per cent in electronic votes, as 90 per cent of the votes counted so far, as reported by Euro News on Sunday.
This win is significant in the political landscape of the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million and was considered one of the most significant as well as one of the most divisive.
The complete results, however, will be made public on Sunday morning after the votes cast using non-electronic means have been counted.
The four main opposition parties contesting the election–United National Movement, Strong Georgia, Coalition for Change, and Gakharia for Georgia–have alleged voter manipulation and fraud, as reported by Euro News.
The opposition has also accused the ruling party of steering the nation away from the European Union and towards Russia.
These claims were denied by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who told Euronews, “We have no diplomatic relations with Russia,” asserting that the party is dedicated to European integration.
Before the elections, the Georgian Dream Party had vowed to change the Constitution and to ban opposition parties if it secured 75 per cent of the seats in parliament.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, in an interview with Euro News, had called the elections “a referendum about the war and the peace issue,” alluding to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“The Georgian Dream government, we believe, is the strongest guarantee for peace in this country, but it’s also about the development of the country,” he added.
The pre-election campaigns were dominated by foreign policy issues and marked by a bitter fight for votes, along with allegations of a ‘smear campaign’.
150 representatives from 18 political parties are in the fray. If no party secures the 76 seats needed to form a government for a four-year term, the president will ask the party with the most seats to form a coalition.