With over 99% of the votes counted in Georgia’s October 26 general election, the ruling Georgian Dream party has officially scored yet another election victory, taking 54.08% of the vote, according to figures released on October 27 by the Central Election Commission (CEC). 

The opposition has rejected the results, however, calling the election “stolen” and accusing Georgian Dream of rigging the vote to maintain its grip on power. Numerous alarming incidents have already been reported, including blatant ballot stuffing in one district. Protests are expected, with opposition leaders promising continuous demonstrations.

The election is seen as a critical juncture for Georgia to either resume its progress towards EU accession or return to Russian influence. 

Although Georgian Dream officially supports Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic goals, including EU membership, its recent actions — such as passing a "foreign agents law" reminiscent of Russian legislation — have raised grave concerns among its Western partners.

According to the CEC, the combined opposition parties that crossed the 5%-threshold in terms of vote share, garnered around 37% of the vote overall. These included the Coalition for Change (10.93%), United National Movement (UNM, 10.12%), Strong Georgia (8.78%), and For Georgia (7.76%).

Opposition parties alleged widespread irregularities, with reports of fraud, voter intimidation and bribery. Local observer group My Vote claimed to have identified a “large scheme” of electoral manipulation involving tampering with the verification process and preventing observers from properly monitoring voting procedures. 

“The election day took place in the context of serious and substantial violations,” said a statement from My Vote published after the polls closed.  “At the end of the day, it became clear that the various problems identified during the monitoring of the election process during the day were part of a larger scheme, the purpose of which was to subvert the final result of the election.”

The vote was marred by widespread evidence of fraud, intimidation and unfair competition, as bne IntelliNews reported late on October 26. In one instance, a group of unidentified men attacked opposition voters in a suburb of Tbilisi; in another, Georgian Dream organisers were filmed distributing cash in exchange for votes in the western city of Zugdidi. The most brazen incident occurred in the southern city of Marneuli, long a centre of electoral fraud, where a local Georgian Dream official was filmed stuffing a large handful of ballots into a ballot box.

Opposition leaders had initially expected a victory in the election, based on exit polls, but their hopes were swiftly dashed as more results were released by the CEC. 

The opposition has condemned the preliminary results as rigged. “We do not recognise the outcome of this stolen election, as portrayed by the Central Election Commission,” said a post from the UNM on X (formerly Twitter). We will fight until the end of this regime.” 

Other opposition leaders echoed these sentiments, with Nika Gvaramia of the Coalition for Change calling the election a “constitutional coup”, in a statement broadcast by Georgian television. 

“Georgian Dream cannot continue to be in power in this nation. It’s Georgia, not Russia or Venezuela,” Gvaramia said.

“No one, neither in Georgia nor outside its borders, recognises these elections!” said a statement from Droa, a member of Coalition for Change. 

Droa’s Elene Khoshtaria, a prominent opposition leader, announced the beginning of organised protests, saying Georgians will not accept the election result. 

Georgia’s political landscape has increasingly become polarised between the pro-Western opposition, seeking closer ties with the European Union, and the ruling Georgian Dream, which has veered towards Russia under the influence of founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. 

The scene is now set for significant protests, a staple in Georgia's political history, as citizens across the country brace for what may be a long period of unrest.