Georgia's ruling party wins local elections in all municipalities

After counting ballots from all 3,061 polling stations, Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has released preliminary results of the local elections, declaring the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party a winner, Caliber.Az reports, citing Sputnik Georgia.

According to the CEC, the GD party has won in all municipalities of the country, securing 81.68% of the votes.

A total of 1,104,545 voters supported the ruling party. The commission received 25 complaints in total. Voter turnout stood at 40.93%, with 1,438,116 citizens casting their ballots.

In Tbilisi, GD's Kakha Kaladze was re-elected mayor with 71.56% of the vote, securing control of the capital's city council with 80.27% in proportional races. Nationwide, GD candidates triumphed in every municipality, amassing 1,104,545 votes and effectively consolidating local power ahead of potential snap parliamentary polls. Smaller opposition parties like Lelo/Strong Georgia (6.78%) and Gakharia – For Georgia (3.87%) trailed far behind, while major pro-EU blocs boycotted the vote to protest the legitimacy of GD's rule.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze hailed the results as a "confident victory" reflecting public support for GD's "sovereign" policies, vowing to punish those behind post-election unrest as "foreign-backed agitators." Party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, a reclusive billionaire with ties to Moscow, celebrated the sweep as proof of 80% national backing. However, President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU critic of GD, decried the elections as a "democratic tragedy" and "Russian special operation," urging international intervention.

By Khagan Isayev