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The Georgian Dream party has declared victory in parliamentary elections shortly after polls closed on October 8 in the former Soviet republic.
Deputy Prime Minister Kakha Kaladze, a member of Georgian Dream, told Reuters after the October vote, that data gathered by the ruling coalition suggested Georgian Dream had won at least 58 % of the vote.
The pro-Russian Alliance of Patriots has 4.9 % of votes, falling short of the 5 percent threshold required in order to win parliamentary mandates.
The preliminary results that have been released are for a proportional ballot that will decide 77 of the 150 seats in the legislature. The 73 other seats have been contested in single-seat constituencies.
Because of Georgia’s complex election laws, the final composition of the country’s legislative assembly might not be determined until late next month.
Voter turnout was low, with just over 51 % of those eligible casting ballots, according to the CEC.
International observers monitoring Georgia’s parliamentary elections say the October 8 vote was competitive, well-administered, and that fundamental freedoms were generally respected.
However, their preliminary statement released on October 9 also said that the campaign atmosphere was impacted by allegations of unlawful campaigning and some incidents of violence.
“Georgia has reaffirmed its status as the leader of democratic transformation in this region,” said Paolo Alli, head of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation. “The conduct of this election is greatly encouraging for all those who support Georgia on its path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.”
Because of Georgia’s complicated election rules, the final composition of the 150-seat parliament may not become clear until late November.
Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012, was formed by the billionaire businessman and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
The ENM was founded by Ivanishvili’s rival, former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Several other opposition parties denounced vote rigging during the elections. “Our party will not recognise these results,” former parliament speaker and the leader of Democratic Georgia party, Nino Burjanadze, said. “The elections were not free and fair.” “We have evidence of electoral fraud in favor of Georgian Dream, such as, for example, multiple voting,” Burjanadze added.
An October 5 car bombing targeting ENM lawmaker Givi Targamadze in central Tbilisi saw the party accuse authorities of creating “a climate of hatred” before the polls.
The blast raised security concerns, as did reports of a foiled terror plot on a gas pipeline and authorities’ publicly expressed suspicions that a post-election coup might be in the planning.
On election day, about a dozen men tried to storm a polling station in the village of Kizilajlo, about 40 kilometres southwest of Tbilisi, and clashed with police.
The Interior Ministry said two police officers were hurt in that incident, but authorities prevented the men from entering the polling station.
The post Ruling party wins Georgian elections on background of alleged fraud, violence appeared first on New Europe.