The party in power in Georgia claimed, Sunday, October 3, its victory the day after crucial municipal elections, marked by accusations of fraud. After counting the ballots from almost all the polling stations, the Georgian Dream party, which has led this Caucasian country since 2012, won 47% of the vote. It is followed by the United National Movement (MNU), the party of former President Mikheil Saakashvili – arrested on his return from exile on Friday – which would obtain 30.61% of the vote, according to figures from the electoral commission.
However, the opposition parties together won 53% of the vote and several of them cried fraud – accusations relayed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The ballot was tainted “By widespread and recurring allegations of intimidation, vote-buying and pressure on candidates and voters”OSCE observers said at a press conference on Sunday.
In a statement released earlier today, the Georgian Dream political party, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Mr Saakashvili’s main rival, argued instead that the vote had matched “To the highest democratic criteria”. Its leader, Irakli Kobakhidze, also claimed a victory “Decisive”. “Radical and revenge political parties have received a deserved rebuff from Georgian society”, he said, greeting a “Victory for peace and stability”. In several important cities, including the capital, Tbilisi, a second round will take place on October 30.
Georgian dream turns its back on EU mediation
The electoral campaign was turned upside down on Friday by the arrest of Mikheil Saakashvili, president from 2004 to 2013, returned to Georgia after an eight-year exile during which he led a second agitated political career in Ukraine. On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said he was going to press for Mr Saakashvili, 53, to be allowed to return to Ukraine. The latter lost his Georgian nationality and has a Ukrainian passport.
The former leader was arrested in Georgia after being sentenced in absentia in 2018 to six years in prison for ” abuse of power “, a matter that he considers political. From his cell, he announced that he was starting a hunger strike.
Georgia has been plunged into a political crisis since the opposition denounced massive fraud in the legislative elections of October 2020, won by the wire by the party in power. In May, after mediation by the European Union, Georgian Dream had agreed to organize early legislative if it gathered less than 43% of the vote in the municipal elections on Saturday. But the ruling party finally withdrew from the deal in July, angering the opposition. According to the official results of the poll on Saturday, Georgian Dream would have exceeded this threshold of 43%.
Intimidation, vote buying and multiple votes
But, as in the legislative elections of 2020, the opposition groups denounced fraud. Guiorgui Baramidze, a member of the MNU, was indignant at“Voter intimidation and vote buying” before the elections, then “Multiple votes” on polling day. He promised his training would use “All legal means to cancel this falsification”.
Before his arrest on Friday, Mr. Saakachvili called for a demonstration in Tbilisi on Sunday. However, the opposition has so far refrained from relaying this call, pending the conclusions of international observers. A charismatic personality, both adored and criticized, Mikheïl Saakachvili led during his time in power major anti-corruption reforms and brought his country closer to the United States and NATO.
However, he is held in part responsible for a conflict which in 2008 led to Russian military intervention in Georgian territory, and had cost Tbilisi the de facto loss of two separatist territories, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Mr. Saakachvili has also been accused by his detractors of authoritarian abuses. In recent years, it is, on the contrary, the Georgian Dream formation which has been accused of silencing its opponents and journalists.