Georgia has been in political turmoil since the pro-Russian ruling party Georgian Dream emerged victorious in parliamentary elections. Opposition parties termed the election results as 'fraudulent' and accused of stuffing ballot boxes and intimidation of voters. However, the Election Commission says that even though the ruling party won the majority of seats, it could not achieve the absolute majority required for constitutional changes. The French news agency AFP reported.
Saturday's vote was seen as an important test for the country's democracy in the Caucasus region. The European Union (EU) had previously warned that the election would affect the country's chances of joining the EU. The election results have now created a situation of political face-to-face conflict. According to analysts, could damage Georgia's European aspirations.
The head of the Central Election Commission, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, said that the results of 99 percent of the centers show that Georgian Dream won with 54 percent and 8 percent of the votes. On the other hand, the four Western opposition parties in the alliance got 37.58 percent of the votes. In this, 91 seats of the ruling party have been confirmed in the 150-member parliament. That was enough to form a government but did not allow for constitutional changes to ban the main opposition parties.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze described the victory as “extraordinary” and accused the opposition of undermining the country's constitutional order. But a booth return poll by US research firm Edison Research showed the opposition likely to win.
Opposition parties rejected the results, alleging electoral fraud. United National Movement (UNM) party leader Tina Bokuchava said the election was stolen. Attempts are underway to steal Georgia's future. He refused to accept the results. Nika Govaramiya, leader of another opposition Akhali Party, termed the election process as a constitutional coup.
The country's pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili said there had been “deeply worrying” incidents of violence in some polling stations.
Georgian Dream initially pursued pro-Western policies after coming to power in 2012, but has changed its stance in the past two years. Their campaign was about a conspiracy theory. The theory claimed that there was an attempt to involve Georgia in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Georgian Dream tried to scare the people of the country affected by the Russian invasion in 2008 by raising the fear of war. The group also claims that only they can counter the threat of impending war. Their controversial Foreign Influence Act led to nationwide protests. Critics say the law was an attempt to suppress civil society in line with the Kremlin's strategy. Brussels suspended Georgia's EU accession process after it was issued. Washington has imposed sanctions on several officials.
