Georgia Summed Up the First Round of Parliamentary Elections Results

Opposition supporters who disagreed with the voting results protested in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi. The ruling party Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia (GDDG) won 48.15 percent of the vote in the first round of elections to the country's unicameral parliament. The opposition bloc United National Movement - United Opposition Strength in Unity (UNM) ranks second with 27.14 percent. Such data provided the Central Election Commission of Georgia on Sunday, November 1, after processing 100 percent of ballots. Meanwhile, supporters of opposition parties who disagreed with voting results started a protest in front of the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. “They just spat in our souls. Ivanishvili's regime must be ended. The elections were not valid, we declare once again that we do not recognize the results of these elections and we demand new parliamentary elections, early elections,” one of the activists said. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot" publication, opposition supporters broke through the police cordon at the residence of the chairman of the GDDG Bidzina Ivanishvili and called on him to respond to their demands. EU: Fundamental freedoms have been respected Meanwhile, the EU has already stated that, according to Brussels, fundamental freedoms in the elections were observed. "According to a joint statement, taking into account the preliminary findings and conclusions of international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe and NATO, the elections were held in a competitive struggle and generally, fundamental freedoms were observed," the European External Action Service (EEAS) stated. U.S. Embassy in Georgia shares OSCE / ODIHR assessment. The US Embassy in Georgia also said it shares the OSCE / ODIHR's initial assessment that “parliamentary elections in Georgia were held in a competitive environment and protecting fundamental freedoms,” despite “widespread allegations of pressure on voters” and a blurred border “ between the ruling party and the state ”in some aspects of the electoral process.