Georgia’s ruling party and the main opposition party have both declared victory in parliamentary elections that are said to determine whether the former Soviet republic moves toward the West or leans on Russia during the war in Ukraine.
The results of the exit polls gave contradictory projections for the new composition of the parliament.
One poll showed that the ruling Georgian Dream party won by a landslide, and two other polls showed that the opposition would win a majority.
The exit poll of the “Imedij” television channel, which supports the Georgian Dream, showed that the ruling party won 56 percent of the vote.
However, the exit polls of the pro-opposition channels “Formula” and “Mtavari arhi” showed that the opposition parties together will be able to form a majority in the 150-seat parliament.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling party and former prime minister, declared victory.
“It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation – it is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people,” Ivanishvili said just minutes after the polls closed.
He told the citizens that Georgia “will achieve great success in the next four years”.
The first preliminary results are expected to arrive soon, and the full results should be announced within a few hours.
Photo: Council of Europe
