People take to the streets in Georgia: they deny the victory of the pro-Russian party of a local oligarch in the parliamentary elections. Were the elections really rigged? How serious is it? We explain as briefly as possible

Today, October 28, mass protests began in Georgia against the declared results of the parliamentary elections. The future course of the state depends on the vote — whether it will move closer to EU membership or return to Moscow. According to official data, the ruling pro-Russian party "Georgian Dream" is ahead. The opposition and the president of Georgia declared a "total falsification" in which Russia is involved. International observers reported pressure and attacks on the opposition, intimidation of voters, buying votes and cameras of the ruling party at polling stations. We explain whatʼs going on.

The pro-Russian party "Georgian Dream" is leading the parliamentary elections in Georgia. According to the official results of the the central election commission (CEC), it won 53% of the vote, and the opposition parties together — about 38%.

The opposition says the election was "totally falsified." According to exit polls from independent analytical companies Edison Research and HarrisX, the coalition of opposition parties should win more seats in parliament than "Georgian Dream".

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the election was "stolen by Putinʼs puppet government in Tbilisi." The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US government condemned "all violations of international norms" reported by observers and called for a full investigation.

Half a year ago, "Georgian Dream" passed a law on "foreign agents", which is called a tracing of the Russian law. It was adopted in May 2024, despite mass protests. On the night before the first of May, the largest rally was held in the capital of Georgia — almost 30 000 people came out. Then the police used tear gas and water cannons — dozens of people were injured, and the head of the opposition party "United National Movement" Levan Khabeishviliʼs nose was broken by the police. Because of this law, the US has suspended more than $95 million in aid to Georgia, and the European Union has suspended the countryʼs integration process until it changes its political course.

The “Georgian Dream” party has been ruling Georgia for the past 12 years. It has had a majority in the parliament since its foundation. In 2012, it was created by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who together with his relatives, has a large fortune in Russia. Only his share is estimated by Politico at $7.6 billion.

Georgia is a parliamentary republic. It is governed by ministers headed by a prime minister nominated by the party that won the most votes in the elections. The President of Georgia is the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Forces and the ceremonial head of state, who has no real executive power. Pro-Russian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze headed Georgia for the second time in February 2024. He also manages the election headquarters of "Georgian Dream".

The opposition called the elections illegitimate and said it would block the parliament. "Coalition of Changes" has already given up the parliamentary mandates. The leader of the "Unity — National Movement" party says that the party does not recognize the lists and will not go to the parliament. The leader of "Strong Georgia" Mamuka Khazaradze believes that the elections are a special operation of KGB, which "appropriated the votes of the people and is preparing the country for Russia."

Ms. President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili also did not recognize the election results.

"It is the same as recognizing the subordination of Georgia to Russia. No one can take away the European future from Georgia," she said.

She called on citizens to go to a peaceful rally. It started on October 28 at 17:00 Kyiv time. Hundreds of protesters have already gathered near the parliament building and blocked the central avenue of Tbilisi. They were joined by the President and members of the opposition.

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The coalition of Georgian monitoring organizations "My Voice" declares that it has discovered a "large-scale falsification scheme". Their observers reported more than 900 violations of election procedures. International observers also noted "cameras of the ruling party at polling stations" and people who could track and control voters.

Observer Antonio White said there was "confusion and chaos" in the precincts. In particular, about "physical attacks on observers who wanted to report violations" and "throwing many ballots into the ballot box." The head of the PACE delegation Iulian Bulai writes about "buying votes, especially in rural areas."

According to the Central Election Commission, 300 000 more participants voted for the "Georgian Dream" than in the previous elections in 2021. At the same time, the opposition was able to attract only one thousand more voters. Georgian sociologist Iago Kachkachishvili says that such an increase is unrealistic and probably related to manipulation.

The honorary chairman of "Georgian Dream" Bidzina Ivanishvili declared the partyʼs victory on October 26, right after the voting closed. He declared a "rare case in the world" when the party "achieves such success in such a difficult situation." Russians, such as propagandist Margarita Simonyan, also welcomed the "Georgian Dream" as early as October 26. The head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Council Grigorii Karasin hopes that Georgiaʼs domestic policy "will be conducted in a predictable and civilized manner."

According to analysts of the European Council on International Relations, Ivanishvili is a "key decision-maker in Georgia". It controls the ruling party, key government institutions such as the judiciary and security services, and influences the economic sphere. And during the years of his rule, he "confidently displaced pro-Western elements in society, including non-governmental organizations, political parties and the media."

On the eve of the parliamentary elections, he called the opposition "agents of a foreign state that will only carry out instructions from abroad" and will lead to "catastrophe and ruin" in the country. His party also promised to change the constitution and ban opposition parties if it won 75% of the seats in parliament.

Ivanishvili says that Ukraine is run by an "agency" whose urgent task is to "somehow draw Georgia into hostilities." In the pre-election video, "Georgian Dream" used photos of Ukrainian cities destroyed by the Russian military, with the caption "Say no to war." These shots were contrasted with fountains and new buses in Georgian cities with the inscription "Choose to be in peace." Subsequently, the government fined Georgian TV channels that refused to show this campaign video.

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