Georgia's ruling party wins pivotal election as opposition cries foul

Billionaire claims success amid reports of vote buying and voter intimidation

TBILISI - Georgia's most powerful man won a parliamentary election on Oct 26, with more than 99 per cent of precincts counted, a victory that opposition politicians refused to recognise, alleging "falsification".

The outcome is a blow to pro-Western Georgians, who see the election as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition that has hoped to fast-track integration with the European Union.

Georgian Dream's reclusive billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, who campaigned heavily on keeping Georgia out of the war in Ukraine, claimed success on Oct 27 after his party clinched more than 54 per cent of the vote.

"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," Mr Ivanishvili told cheering supporters.

Opposition parties contested the election results at a news briefing held in the early hours of Oct 27 and said they would not accept them.

"This is a constitutional coup," said Mr Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change opposition party, according to the Interpress news agency.

"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 Ms Tina Bokuchava, leader of the opposition United National Movement.