The Albany Gazette - Georgia: Ruling party celebrates election victory

Did the Russian terrorist state have its dirty fingers in the pie and did war criminal Vladimir Putin (72) manage to undermine democracy in Georgia with the help of money and corruption?

The ruling 'Georgian Dream' party has become increasingly authoritarian, adopting laws which are similar to those used by Russia to crack down on freedom of speech. After one such law was passed earlier this year, Brussels suspended Georgia’s EU membership process.

If confirmed, Georgian Dream’s victory would prove a blow to those Georgians who hope for closer integration with Europe in a vote billed as a choice between the West and Russia.

Early official results with 70% of precincts counted, representing the majority of votes cast, showed the ruling party had won 53% of the vote, the electoral commission said. The results do not include most ballots cast by Georgians living overseas.

"The Georgian people have cast a vote for the European future of this country, and therefore we will not accept these falsified results published by the CEC (Central Election Commission)," said Tina Bokuchava, leader of the opposition United National Movement.

"We Vote," a Georgian coalition of electoral observers, said it believed the results “do not reflect the will of the citizens of Georgia,” citing multiple reports of voter intimidation and vote buying.

"We will continue to demand the annulment of the results," it said. Rival exit polls gave sharply different projections for the election: The Georgian Dream-supporting Imedi TV channel showed the ruling party winning 56%. Exit polls by the pro-opposition channels showed major gains for the opposition parties.

Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s reclusive billionaire founder and onetime prime minister, claimed victory and praised the Georgian people. "It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation – this is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people," Ivanishvili told cheering supporters.

Though Georgian Dream lost out to the combined opposition in parts of the capital, Tbilisi, it won margins of up to 90% in some rural areas.