Georgia’s President Rejects Vote Result, Urges Protests After Ruling Party Wins Election

The ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in Georgia’s parliamentary elections on Sunday with nearly 54 percent of the vote, prompting President Salome Zourabichvili to call for public protests amid opposition claims that the result favors Russia. Georgian Dream is headed for a fourth term in office and will take 89 seats in parliament, determining the country’s geopolitical trajectory. Four pro-Western opposition parties received 61 seats in total. The party’s billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, characterized the Oct. 26 election as a way of preventing the West from dragging Georgia into conflict with Russia. “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 supporters on Sunday....