Georgia’s ruling party triumphs in parliamentary polls, opposition rejects results

The ruling party "Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia" won the parliamentary elections with 53.93% of the vote, according to the Secretary of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia, Georgiy Dzhavakhishvili.

As a result, the party secured 89 seats in the 150-member parliament. The “Coalition for Change” garnered 11.03% of the vote, winning 19 seats, while “Unity – National Movement” obtained 10.17% and secured 16 seats, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The party “Strong Georgia” received 8.81% of the vote, earning 14 seats, and “Gakharia for Georgia” gained 7.78%, winning 12 seats.

On Saturday, November 16, a protest action was organized outside the Central Election Commission in Georgia. Opposition representatives and activists gathered in Tbilisi, with police blocking the entrances to the CEC.

The parliamentary elections in Georgia were held on October 26. Following the results, the “Georgian Dream” party emerged victorious. However, several opposition political groups rejected the election results, and members of the “Coalition for Change” even refused their parliamentary mandates.

Presidential elections in Georgia are expected to take place in January 2025, as announced by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in a conversation with journalists at the UN Climate Conference in Baku.

“The results of the elections will be finalized, and ten days after that, a session of parliament will take place. Following that, parliamentary life will begin, and shortly thereafter, most likely in early January, presidential elections will be held,” said the Georgian prime minister.

Previously, Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili had called for new parliamentary elections as a means to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the country.

Zourabichvili made this call during a joint press conference with the heads of parliamentary committees from eight EU countries, who arrived in Tbilisi and did not recognize the election results in Georgia.

By Tamilla Hasanova