Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, is in first place with nearly 53 percent of the vote in the recent elections, the Central Election Commission reported, cited by Russian news agency Ria Novosti. The information was obtained thanks to a new electronic counting system, after 69 percent of the ballots were counted.
Exit polls gave mixed results as polls closed for the legislative elections. Polls by pro-European opposition parties indicated a possible victory for them, while a pro-government television station claimed that Georgian Dream had won 56.1 percent of the vote.
An exit poll conducted by Edison Research for the opposition Formula TV station revealed that Georgian Dream, with 40.9 percent of the vote, could win 67 of the 150 seats in the new parliament. The various opposition parties, together, would have 51.9 percent of the vote, gaining 83 seats.
Polls conducted before the election showed highly variable results, depending on the political line of the media that reported them. For Georgian Dream, the predictions ranged from 34% of opposition sources to almost 60% of pro-government outlets.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Prime Minister Kobakhidze and the Georgian Dream party on their victory in the parliamentary elections, saying that the Georgian people know what is best for their country and have made their voices heard.
The legislative elections are seen as crucial for the future of this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, which has nearly four million inhabitants and a political landscape divided between a pro-European opposition and a government accused of authoritarianism and closeness to Russia. Brussels has warned that the outcome of the vote will have a significant impact on Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union.
Georgian Dream party officials claimed victory based on an exit poll by pro-government Imedi TV, which showed the party had won 56 percent of the vote. Former prime minister and party figure Bidzina Ivanishvili told supporters that it was rare for a party to achieve such success in such a difficult environment, promising that the country would achieve great things in the next four years.
On the other hand, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, the leader of the anti-government camp, claimed that the opposition had triumphed. On X, she declared that “European Georgia is winning with 52% despite attempts at fraud,” basing her claim on exit polls.
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