Georgian Dream Party Leads as Electoral Authority Announces Preliminary Election Results
TBILISI: Georgia has completed its 11th parliamentary election since gaining independence in 1991, with preliminary results from the Central Election Commission (CEC) indicating that the ruling Georgian Dream Party is leading. The official results are still pending.
According to Anadolu Agency, as of 10:00 p.m. local time (1800GMT), the CEC reported the preliminary vote count as follows: Georgian Dream Party with 52.99% (935,004 votes), Coalition for Change with 11.2% (197,619 votes), Unity-UNM with 9.83% (173,510 votes), Strong Georgia with 9.02% (159,306 votes), and Gakharia – For Georgia with 8.22% (145,205 votes). Other parties did not surpass the 5% electoral threshold.
The Georgian Dream Party’s leadership, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and honorary founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, convened at party headquarters in Tbilisi to celebrate what they claim is their fourth consecutive victory. However, President Salome Zourabichvili contested these unofficial results, stating on social media that p
ro-EU opposition parties secured 52% of the vote, citing alleged electoral irregularities and noting that overseas ballots were still being counted. She expressed, “European Georgia is winning with 52% despite attempts to rig elections and without votes from the diaspora,” on the platform X.
The main opposition groups, including Unity to Save Georgia, led by former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement, and the Coalition for Change, garnered between 11-17% and 12-18% of the votes, respectively, as reported by local media.
A total of 18 parties, encompassing four electoral blocs, participated in the elections, aiming to surpass the 5% threshold necessary for parliamentary representation. The party or bloc that secures 76 seats in the parliament will have the opportunity to form a single-party government. In the event of an opposition victory, the formation of a coalition government is anticipated.
The Central Election Commission of Georgia is expected to release the complete preliminary r
esults later on Saturday.