Georgia
Orban’s new illiberal axis
Hungarian PM is playing a long game: building alliances with EU candidate countries like Georgia and Serbia whose leaders share his values.
International calls for independent investigation into Georgian election grow
As Georgian Dream celebrates its victory, the opposition denies the legitimacy of the elections, with observer organisations describing large-scale rigging and calling for the annulment of official results.
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Defying EU, Hungarian PM Orban hails results of disputed Georgia election in Tbilisi
Orban has long been opposed to the EU’s mainstream and maintained close ties with Russia, despite the latter’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands flood on to streets of Tbilisi to protest against elections “fixed by Moscow”
President tells crowd that ruling party “stole your vote”. Hungary’s PM Orban, who arrived to congratulate Georgian Dream on their “victory”, booed when seen outside hotel.
Top Western politicians criticise conduct of Georgian election
But Hungarian PM Orban undermines EU position with warm endorsement of Georgian Dream victory.
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CENUSA: Georgia's general election creates a dilemma for the EU
The general election in Georgia showed the EU is having difficulty in influencing public perception in the country.
Data analysis backs up claims of fraud in Georgian election
Deviations in voting patterns, particularly in rural areas, indicate irregularities in the election that returned Georgian Dream for another term.
President says Georgian election was targeted by Russian ‘special operation’
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili calls general election that delivered victory to Georgian Dream a “total falsification”.
Georgian election results “are nothing to do with reality”, opposition leaders say
Georgia’s pro-Western opposition say they do not recognise Georgian Dream's claim of victory in crucial parliamentary elections, citing large-scale voter fraud.
Opposition to launch protests over “stolen” general election in Georgia
With over 99% of the votes counted, results show a resounding victory for ruling Georgian Dream party.
Tensions in Tbilisi as both Georgian Dream and opposition claim victory in watershed elections
With 70% of vote counted, election commission gives ruling party chunky lead, but opponents point to some exit poll data saying it is heading for defeat.
A tense and tentative Georgian Dream ‘victory’
Street protests expected after opposition’s initial hopes of victory dashed.
Exit polls indicate strong performance by opposition in Georgian general election
Two out of three exit polls indicate the combined opposition tally in the general election is ahead of ruling Georgian Dream’s share of the vote.
Clashes between party activists and attacks on journalists reported during Georgia election
Public Defender’s Office and Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association report multiple incidents on polling day.
Georgian ‘reintegration’ of Abkhazia and South Ossetia? Not likely
Georgia’s ruling party has dangled a particularly juicy carrot in front of the electorate: the possibility of regaining the two Russian-occupied separatist regions.
Bidzina Ivanishvili: the oligarch ‘puppet master’ blocking Georgia's path to the EU
Georgia’s country’s richest man is widely regarded as controlling nearly all branches of power from behind the scenes.
Narrow win for pro-EU camp in Moldovan referendum could be warning sign for Georgia
Both countries face a high level of Russian interference around elections critical for their geopolitical orientation.
OPINION: Georgia to choose between Europe and Russia
October 26 parliamentary elections offer a choice between Europe and Russia, which also implies a choice between democracy and autocracy.
HESS: Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations are at stake in general election
Georgia’s October 26 election is set to be the country’s most significant since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Georgians prepare to vote in the shadow of a frozen conflict
Daily struggles are a bigger concern than geopolitics in Nikozi, a Georgian village next to the breakaway South Ossetia region.