After counting almost all votes, the ruling party in Georgia appears to have won the elections. But the opposition speaks of electoral fraud and calls for “permanent protests”. Thousands of supporters responded on Sunday evening and demonstrated in front of the parliament in the capital Tbilisi.
More than 48 percent of the vote went to the Georgian Dream Party of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the richest man in the country. The opposition parties came together at more than 45 percent.
“There is no doubt that we won,” executive secretary Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters. The party says it has enough votes to rule without other parties.
According to the opposition parties, the elections have been tampered with, votes have been bought and people have been pressured at ballot boxes. They refuse to sit in parliament until new elections come. They also say they will continue to organize protests.
“The fight is now on and we are fighting to the bitter end,” said David Bakradze, one of the European Georgia party leaders.
OSCE: Freedoms respected
According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the elections were “competitive” and fundamental freedoms generally respected, but there is little confidence in the electoral system as the line between ruling party and state is blurring. There are also allegations that voters have been pressured, according to the OSCE.
The largest opposition party United National Movement (UNM) has entered into a coalition with ten smaller parties. They want to nominate exiled former president Michaïl Saakashvili as prime minister in the event of an election win. Saakashvili fled the country in 2013 after alleged abuse of power, after which the Dream Party came to power. Since then, the former president has been working on a political comeback from the Netherlands.
Parliament stormed last summer
The government has lost a lot of popularity in recent years. According to opponents, economic policy is failing, the judiciary is selective and protests are severely broken up. Critics argue that billionaire Ivanishvili, who has no official position in government, rules the country from behind the scenes.
One-fifth of Georgia is occupied by pro-Russian separatists. Last summer stormed protesters still went to parliament, after a Russian parliamentarian addressed parliament from the chair’s seat during an event. Both the government and the opposition want Georgia to join NATO and the European Union, although this can count on resistance from Russia. The Dream Party also wants closer ties with Russia.
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