Georgian Dream Wins Election with 54 Percent, Says Electoral Commission

tbilisi - Georgian Dream party secures an absolute majority in Georgia's parliamentary elections, according to the national electoral commission.

The Georgian Dream (GD) party has achieved an absolute majority following Saturday's parliamentary elections in Georgia, the national electoral commission reports. With over 99 percent of the polling districts counted, GD is said to have secured 54 percent of the votes.

The party, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been increasingly leaning towards Russia in recent years and has been accused of taking authoritarian measures, including targeting the LGBTQ+ community. A bloc of pro-European parties had hoped to break GD's grip on power in the election.

Opposition parties have claimed that the election was not fair and have denounced it as 'a constitutional coup.' Tina Bokuchava, leader of the United National Movement, has accused the electoral commission of doing 'the dirty work for billionaire Ivanishvili.' She believes that the results have been 'tampered with' and that the election was 'stolen.'

A local observation organization has reported instances of intimidation and voter bribery. Reports from other observation organizations, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) which was present at the election, are expected later on Sunday.

An important theme in the election was Georgia's relationship with the European Union. 80 percent of Georgians, according to polls, wish to join the EU. While Georgian Dream is theoretically pro-European, in practice the party has been distancing itself from the bloc. This was evidenced by the introduction of a foreign agents law, which observers believe gives the government control over critical organizations. Russia has a similar law, which is incompatible with EU accession. The European Parliament recently labeled Georgia's situation as a 'democratic backslide.'