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Georgia votes: dream or fraud? Protests after the government's election victory!
Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party wins parliamentary election as the opposition organizes protests against alleged voter fraud.
Georgia votes: dream or fraud? Protests after the government's election victory!
The elections in Georgia caused excitement! The ruling Georgian Dream party won the parliamentary election, according to the electoral commission, while the pro-Western opposition protested loudly and called the vote an "unconstitutional coup." With over 54 percent of the vote, based on more than 99 percent of ballot boxes counted, the party secured 89 of 150 seats in parliament, but not the absolute majority needed for sweeping constitutional changes.
The opposition, which received over 37 percent of the vote, speaks of electoral fraud. Tina Bokuchava, the leader of the United National Movement (UNM), accused the government of “stealing” the election. “This is an attempt to steal Georgia’s future,” she shouted, declaring that UNM does not recognize the results. Nika Gvaramia from the Ahali party also described the election as an “unconstitutional coup” and predicted that Georgian Dream would not remain in power.
Protests and violence at the ballot box
The elections were marred by reports of violence and intimidation at the ballot box. Georgia's pro-opposition President Salome Zurabishvili spoke of "deeply worrying incidents" at some polling stations. A video circulating on social media shows a man stuffing multiple ballots into a ballot box while wrestling with poll workers. A local watchdog group called for the results to be annulled but failed to provide comprehensive evidence of vote fraud.
Georgian Dream founder, reclusive billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, celebrated the election victory and praised the “talents of the Georgian people.” His party performed strongly in rural areas with up to 90 percent of the vote. Ivanishvili promotes a narrative about a “global war party” that wants to drag Georgia into the Ukraine conflict. While the EU has put Georgia's membership on hold due to the Georgian Dream's "authoritarian" tendencies, the political situation remains tense and the country's future uncertain.