Ruling Georgian Dream in the lead as opposition parties say vote was 'stolen'

As we wrap up our live coverage, the ruling Georgian Dream is in the lead with 52.99% with the majority of the votes counted.

Not all paper votes or votes cast by Georgian diaspora have been counted yet, with a final results set to be announced on Sunday morning.

Georgian Dream have already claimed victory, saying they would secure 90 seats in the 150-seat parliament.

The opposition, who all celebrated winning based on several conflicting exit polls, have said the election was "stolen."

Tina Bokuchava from United National Movement said her party "does not accept the results of these falsified elections."

Join us tomorrow for more coverage on the results and reactions.

Two of Georgia's opposition parties have commented on the preliminary results from the Georgian elections which put ruling Georgian Dream in the lead.

Tina Bokuchava from Unity National Movement said, “The victory was stolen from the Georgian people."

Other opposition party Coalition for Change said they did not recognise the results from the Central Election Commission as valid. Its leader, Nika Gvaramia, said "The elections were stolen."

Earlier, members of Coalition for Change celebrated at their party headquarters in Tbilisi at the release of an exit poll that showed Georgian Dream had scored fewer votes than the four main opposition parties.

The four parties had vowed to join forces in order to remove Georgian Dream from power.

Members of Georgian Dream declared victory after the country's electoral body put it in the lead with a majority of 53% with over two-thirds of the ballots counted.

"As the results released by (the) central election commission show, Georgian Dream has secured a solid majority" in the new parliament, the ruling party's executive secretary, Mamuka Mdinaradze said.

The party said it would secure 90 seats in the 150-seat parliament, over the 76 needed to form a government.

The results are based votes made electronically, with votes cast via traditional voting methods as well as votes from Georgian diaspora not yet counted.

Preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission put the ruling Georgian Dream party in the lead with a majority of 52.99% against a combined total of 38.4% received by opposition parties.

The results are based on electronic votes from 90% of precincts. A remaining 3% of electronic votes as well as over 10% of voters who were eligible to cast ballots via traditional voting abroad and in Georgia's more remote regions are yet to be counted.

Partial results from the Central Electoral Commission show that Georgian Dream could be set to win a majority, with 52.9% of the votes with almost 70% counted so far.

All votes, however, have not yet been counted. Polling stations for Georgian diaspora, in particular, haven't closed in some places with additional votes yet to be tallied.

Georgians are awaiting official preliminary results, as exit polls commissioned by different parties present a conflicting picture.

The final turnout is recorded at 58,94% — the highest since 2012 when ruling Georgian Dream initially came to power.

Georgian Dream's Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili expressed optimism following the exit polls to supporters in Tbilisi.

He promised that Georgia would achieve significant progress in upcoming years and said there would be “no lies, no treachery, no conniving.”

His speech comes as opposition parties also claimed victory following the release of the exit polls. Coalition for Change, which one poll led by Edison placed second posted on X that it was time to "defend votes."

Members of the party cheered and congratulated one another at their headquarters in Tbilisi.

An investigation has been opened into an incident of ballot stuffing in the town of Maneuli, south of Tbilisi.

The video shows several people stuffing a box with ballots, as organisers try to prevent them.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said it has launched an investigation into election violations, and the Central Election Commission announced that a criminal case has been opened, with all results from the polling station where the incident was said to have occurred declared invalid.

Check out our video below:

Georgia's outspoken pro-Europe President has claimed victory for opposition parties, after three exit polls released once polls closed showed conflicting results.

"European Georgia is winning with 52 % despite attempts to rig elections and without votes from the diaspora" Zourabichvili said in a post on X.

Zourabichvili is the architect behind the "Georgian Charter" a call to action for the opposition parties that proposes they band together to establish a technical government following the election with the priority of re-opening accession talks with the European Union. 

The country's president outlined the importance of this vote for Georgia's entry into the European Union in an earlier interview with Euronews.

Once voting closed, three exit polls released almost at the same time showed conflicting results.

Whilst a poll commissioned by Edison Research showed Georgian Dream with 40.9% and the opposition totalling 51,9% another shown on pro-Georgian Dream Imedi TV poll put Georgian Dream within a majority, at 56.1%.

A third poll commissioned by opposition leaning Mtavari Arkhi by HarrisX put Georgian Dream at 42% and the four opposition parties at 48%.

With voting closed, the first exit poll has been released by Edison with the results as follows:

Georgian Dream 40.9%

Unity National Movement 16.7%

Coalition for Change 16.7%

Strong Georgia 10.3%

Gakharia for Georgia 8.2%

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze insisted the elections are being held in a "peaceful environment" amidst reports of violence at polling stations.

He blamed opposition-leaning TV stations, questioning why TV crews would be present in places thugs would appear.

Kobakhidze also said that Georgian Dream has a "landslide victory" although admitted the party's constitutional majority was not yet guaranteed.



The prime minister added the election was a choice between "war and peace" and that Georgia had a "European future."

Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party allegedly stormed the central office of the opposition United National Movement party (UNM) and attacked UNM representatives there.

The men arrived at the office in cars with huge Georgian Dream flags flying from the windows.

Georgian broadcaster TV Pirveli showed footage of the physical assault on the UNM members, who used pepper spray against the GD thugs, who then quickly left the area.

UNM governed Georgia from 2003 until 2012, when they lost the election to Georgian Dream.

Local media reported violence also emerged elsewhere, with agitators allegedly hindering people from voting and even attacking election observers at polling stations and starting brawls. Some people said they were beaten and spit on.

The non-profit International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy reported seven voting violations as they observed the elections, including an incident of ballot box stuffing circulating on social media.

In a press conference they listed the violations as:

• Ballot box stuffing took place, in the 22nd in Marneuli. 
• Allowing people with marking fluid into polling stations, resulting in double voting;
• Obstructing and removing observers from polling stations;
• Procedural errors in the use of electronic technology; 
• Giving people more than one ballot;
• Voting with an expired ID;
• Violation of the secrecy of the ballot by more than one person entering the booth

Opposition parties in Georgia have voiced concerns that Georgian Dream would practice voter intimidation, something the party has denied.

The European Parliament confirmed the elections will be monitored by both domestic and international observers, including a delegation from the European Parliament.

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights told Euronews it had 380 people observing the elections, along with additional international observers.

Pictures show long queues at polling stations across Europe as Georgian diaspora line up to vote.

Elene Kintsurashvili will be voting for the opposition. She cast her vote in Warsaw this morning, and told Euronews: "I'm feeling hopeful, the turnout is really great with long lines since the polling station opened at 8 a.m."

In total, 95,910 Georgian citizens have been registered to vote at polling stations outside of Georgia.

At the same time, Georgian diaspora have pointed to a low number of polling stations abroad.

"The only polling station in the whole of Poland is in Warsaw, which obviously causes financial and logistical obstacles for some people who don't live in the capital city" Kintsurashvili said.

Government data says overseas voting is set up across 67 stations in 53 cities within 42 countries.

Turnout as of 15:00p.m local time shows voter turnout in the elections at 41.62% — its highest since elections in 2012.

The Georgian Central Election Commission has registered 3,508,294 eligible voters, with 3,113,747 casting their ballots electronically.

Out of all the voter eligible, 135,922 first-time voters will participate, while 64,238 have requested transfer boxes to vote from their residences.

This election will also be the first in the country where voters will be able to vote digitally, a change that observers in the run-up to the election warned could lead to technical problems due to their unprecedented roll-out in the country.

The opposition have accused Georgian Dream of jeopardizing its membership in the European Union — which around 80% of the population support.

In an interview with Euronews, prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze argues the party is committed to European integration.

Read the full interview below.

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