Friday, April 17, 2026

Georgian election was competitive, OSCE finds

OSCE, the Council of Europe and NATO held a common press conference Tuesday assessing the election. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE says Georgia made an important step in consolidating the conduct of democratic elections, but there are still some key issues left needing to address.

The organization has the largest contingent of election observers here, under its Office for

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Call for results to be annulled

Several organizations demand the results from three election districts annulled because of irregularities. Head of the Central Election Commission Zurab Kharatishvili (pictured sitting) is considering their request. In one district, special police stormed several precincts, using rubber bullets and teargas to clear away crowds.

TBILISI, DFWatch – The election result from several precincts in three districts of Georgia may be annulled, says the head of Central Election Commission (CEC).

Due to tension at several precincts in Khashuri that were stormed by special police units yesterday,

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Saakashvili: 'We will be the new opposition'

President Mikheil Saakashvili said he will fight to preserve his achievements as he hands over government power to Georgian Dream, a coalition of smaller parties brouught together by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Screengrab.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – The National Movement party moves into opposition, President Mikheil Saakashvili has told the Georgian people in a TV address.

The president said preliminary vote counting clearly shows that the Georgian Dream coalition came in first in the

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Opposition predicted to win Georgian election

Bidzina Ivanishvili, who went into politics one year ago, has won the parliamentary election in Georgia, according to all the exit polls. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – All the exit polls published after voting ended show that the opposition has won the election in Georgia.

Also the pro-government TV channels show Georgian Dream winning. Rustavi 2’s exit poll show the following: Georgian Dream 51 percent, National

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Ivanishvili has not voted

Bidzina Ivanishvili (left), leader of the opposition Georgian Dream coalition, and his wife, Eka Khvedelidze (right), arriving at an election precinct in Tbilisi October 1. He decided not to vote himself. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of Georgia’s opposition coalition has not voted in Monday’s parliamentary election.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of Georgian Dream, says he refuses to use his new constitutional right to vote, thereby adhering to a statement he made

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