Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has been accused by its opponents of having ties to Russia and recently triumphed in elections against pro-EU opposition parties. Ursula von der Leyen described the event as “a crucial moment for the future of EU-Georgia relations”. However, the opposition has alleged voter fraud and is calling for public demonstrations. Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili has refused to recognise the results of the parliamentary elections, saying they were “completely falsified” and accusing Moscow of conducting a “Russian special operation”, which it calls a modern form of hybrid warfare against the Georgian people.

Observers from the OSCE, NATO and the European Parliament have reported “pressure on voters”, while highlighting that candidates were able to freely campaign and that the voting operations were “well organised”. The situation is also being closely monitored in Brussels: the President of the European Council Charles Michel has included Georgia in the theme of the informal summit in Budapest, underlining the importance of clarifying and addressing the alleged irregularities. At a press conference, Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White, head of the European Parliament delegation, spoke of the elections as “proof of the decline of democracy” in the country, without however expressing a judgement on the stolen vote.

Mikheil Saakashvili, the now-imprisoned pro-Western former president, has called for “mass demonstrations” to show that Georgian citizens do not accept injustice. Meanwhile, Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister who congratulated his Georgian counterpart Irakli Kobakhidze on what he called a “landslide victory,” is due in Tbilisi for a two-day meeting. After taking over the EU presidency in July, Orban traveled to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin and has continued to advocate for dialogue with Russia.

According to the Central Election Commission of Georgia, Georgian Dream received 54.08% of the vote and won 91 out of 150 seats in Parliament. The four opposition parties that exceeded the 5% requirement did not reach a total of 37.5% of the vote. A joint statement by OSCE, NATO and EU observers highlighted the existence of pressure on voters, particularly in the public sector. Widespread monitoring of voters during the voting process was also reported, which raised concerns about the secrecy of the vote itself. In addition, intimidation at polling stations by representatives of the Georgian Dream party who filmed the procedures was reported.

Two pro-Western opposition parties have rejected the election results as “falsified”. Tina Bokuchava of the National Unity Movement (UNM) said: “We do not recognise