Georgia’s opposition contests the outcome of a crucial vote

Georgia’s opposition contested the election results after officials said the ruling party led the crucial vote that could decide whether the country pivots to embrace the West or falls back into Russia’s orbit.

Many Georgians saw the vote as a favorable referendum on whether to join the European Union.

Initial figures suggest turnout is the highest since the ruling Georgian Dream party was first elected in 2012.

Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said Georgian Dream won 52.99 percent, with most votes counted.

Not all ballots and votes cast by Georgians abroad have been counted, and it is unclear when a final result might be announced.

Georgian Dream was opposed by four main opposition groups, which indicated they did not accept the results.

The opposition initially declared victory shortly after the polls closed at 20:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

If Georgian Dream’s victory is confirmed, the party will have a parliamentary majority, raising fears about the country’s bid for EU membership.

The party has become increasingly authoritarian, passing laws similar to those used by Russia to restrict free speech.

After such a law was passed earlier this year, Brussels suspended Georgia’s EU accession process.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream, claimed victory almost immediately after the polls closed and said: “It is rare in the world for the same party to achieve such success in such a difficult situation.”

Tina Bokuchava, head of the opposition United National Movement party, accused the CEC of carrying out Mr Ivanishvili’s “dirty order” and said it “stole the victory of the Georgian people and therefore stole the European future”.

She indicated that the opposition will not recognize the results and “will fight like never before to claim our European future”.

Georgian election observers who stationed thousands of people across the country to monitor the vote said there were several violations and the results “did not correspond to the will of the Georgian people”.

The election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, has been dominated by foreign policy and marked by a fierce battle for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.

Some Georgians complained of intimidation and were pressured to vote for Georgian Dream, while the opposition accused the party of waging a “hybrid war” against its citizens.

The largest opposition party, the United National Movement, said its headquarters were attacked on the day of the vote.

Georgian media also reported that two people were taken to hospital after being attacked outside polling stations, one in the town of Zugdidi, the other in Marneuli, a town south of the capital Tbilisi.

There were also reports of voting irregularities.

A video shared on social media on Saturday also showed a man stuffing ballot papers into a box at a polling station in Marneuli.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said it had launched an investigation, and the Central Election Commission said a criminal case had been opened and all polling station results would be declared invalid.

Ahead of the parliamentary election, Mr Ivanishvili – a shadowy billionaire who founded Georgian Dream and made his fortune in Russia – has again vowed to ban opposition parties if his party wins.

Georgian Dream will hold opposition parties “fully accountable under the full force of the law” for “war crimes” committed against the people of Georgia, Mr Ivanishvili told a pro-government rally in Tbilisi on Wednesday.

He did not explain what crimes he believed the opposition had committed.

Many believed the election was the most important vote since Georgia gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili described it as an “existential election”.

Georgians want “European integration, they want to move forward and they want policies that will bring us a better, more stable future,” 29-year-old Qristine Tordia told The Associated Press (AP) shortly after the vote in Tbilisi.

About 80 percent of Georgians favor EU membership, according to polls, and the country’s constitution obliges its leaders to pursue membership of that bloc and NATO.

But Brussels has indefinitely suspended Georgia’s bid to join the EU after the ruling party passed a “Russian law” cracking down on free speech in June.

Many Georgians fear the party is dragging the country towards authoritarianism and dashing hopes that it could join the EU.

The election “is not just about changing the government, but whether Georgia survives or not because Ivanishvili’s government means Russia,” said Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change, an opposition group.

Mr Ivanishvili voted on Saturday morning under heavy security.

He did not respond when asked by the AP if he wanted to form an alliance with Russia.

He said the election was a choice between a “government that will serve you” or “electing agents of a foreign country who will only fulfill the demands of the foreign country.”

Mr Ivanishvili did not indicate which country he was referring to, but before the election he and his officials claimed a “World War Party” was seeking to influence the EU and US, expand the conflict in Ukraine and force Georgian Dream from power.

Opposition parties have ignored Ms Zourabichvili’s request to unite into a single party, but have signed her “charter” to carry out reforms required by the EU for membership.

Georgian Dream has put up billboards across the country, contrasting black-and-white images of destruction in Ukraine with colorful images of life in Georgia, alongside the slogan “Say no to war – choose peace.”

The ruling and opposition parties have told voters they will pursue EU membership, even though the Georgian Dream laws have put that hope on hold.

At last week’s EU summit, EU leaders said they had “serious concerns about the course of action taken by the Georgian government”.

The Georgian Dream was opposed by three coalitions: the National Unity Movement, the Coalition for Change and Strong Georgia.

The Gakharia Party for Georgia, founded by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, has said it will not enter into an alliance with anyone but will support the opposition to form a government.