A foreign election observer, who requested anonymity to speak candidly with POLITICO, said there was a fight at another polling station, near the country’s border with neighboring Azerbaijan. “We have witnessed ballot stuffing attempts where the perpetrators were discovered, fled, and then simply waited for the observers to leave before trying again,” the observer said. “Given the number of similar accusations coming from other polling stations, I fear that international observers have a very difficult time recognizing that these elections are fair.

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), a Tbilisi-based NGO, said in a statement statement that “incidents and violations were recorded throughout the country during the voting process.” One in ten election observers reported problems, including allegations that voters were bussed by Georgian Dream coordinators, it said.

At the same time, Georgian Dream accused opposition parties of “violations” and said police were investigating accusations that an opposition politician “slapped” one of the ruling party’s coordinators in front of a polling station.

EU dreams

Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December but saw its EU membership application frozen after passing a series of Russian-style laws cracking down on political rights and civil society. In May, the Georgian dream forced to pass a bill which labels Western-backed NGOs, media, and human rights groups as “foreign agents,” and effectively passed a law banning any public reference to the LGBTQ+ communityforcing broadcasters to censor content and ban Pride events.

Authorities used tear gas and batons to disperse protests against the move, which critics said echoed tactics used by the Kremlin to stifle dissent in Russia, and organizers were arrested and beaten in custody. The United States imposed sanctions on Georgian Dream politicians and police officers due to the crackdown.

Kobakhidze said in August that his government would ban all parliamentary opposition partiesincluding UNM, if the party retains power in this crucial election. “I believe that the removal of (parliamentary) mandates will be the logical sequence to ban these parties. Criminal members of criminal political forces should not exercise a status such as that of a member of the Georgian parliament,” he said.

Responding to a POLITICO question before the vote, UNM’s Bokuchava said she “would not entertain the possibility” that UNM would have to disband because she did not believe Georgian Dream “would ever receive the mandate” to govern the country. .

The opposition and experts blame Georgia’s rapid turn away from the EU and Russia. Ivanishvilithe country’s richest man and founder of Georgian Dream, who exercises significant personal control over the party, the judiciary and the state.