Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has declared a resounding victory in the country’s local self-government elections held on October 4, securing control over all major cities and municipalities despite widespread opposition, boycotts and accusations of electoral irregularities.
The results have ignited mass protests in the capital, Tbilisi, where demonstrators clashed with riot police in attempts to storm key government buildings, prompting a stern government crackdown.
According to official results from the Central Election Commission, Georgian Dream candidates won decisively across the board, with Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze securing 77.4% of the vote for a third term.
The party claimed an overall landslide of around 70-71%, framing the outcome as a strong endorsement of its policies, including maintaining balanced relations with Russia while pursuing national interests.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze hailed the win as a rejection of ”alternative agendas” and accused opposition forces of orchestrating a coup attempt, vowing further measures to neutralise ”foreign agents” responsible for the unrest.
However, the elections unfolded against a backdrop of deep political division, with several major opposition blocs boycotting the vote in protest of what they described as a ”period of extensive crackdown on dissent.”
Turnout was notably low at around 33%, reflecting widespread disillusionment amid allegations of vote rigging, including carousel voting, double ballots, intimidation, and malfunctioning machines.
Opposition leaders, many aligned with pro-European Union sentiments, labelled the polls a ”sham” and called for a ”peaceful overthrow” of the government, drawing comparisons to past revolutions in the region.
Protests erupted immediately following the vote, with tens of thousands gathering in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square and marching toward the presidential palace and parliament.
Demonstrators, waving EU and Ukrainian flags, demanded the resignation of the government and fresh elections, accusing Georgian Dream of pro-Russian leanings that jeopardise the country’s EU aspirations.
Clashes intensified as protesters set up burning barricades and attempted to breach the Orbeliani Presidential Palace, leading to violent confrontations with security forces.
Riot police deployed water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray, and flashbang grenades to disperse the crowds, resulting in injuries to at least 20 officers and several protesters, according to the Health Ministry.
Government officials, including Parliament Chairman Shalva Papuashvili, portrayed the protests as a failed ”Maidanization” attempt orchestrated by internal radicals and external forces, including foreign NGOs, the EU and the media.
He praised law enforcement for preventing bloodshed and chaos, emphasising that the elections reaffirmed public support for ”law and order, democracy, and national interests.”
Papuashvili criticised the lack of condemnation from EU officials and pointed to a European Commission spokesperson’s earlier expression of solidarity with the anti-government rally as evidence of foreign interference.
Georgia’s State Security Service further escalated tensions by announcing the discovery of a weapons cache, including firearms and explosives, hidden in a forest near Tbilisi. Authorities linked the stash to a thwarted terrorist plot aimed at storming the presidential palace during the protests, describing it as part of a coordinated subversion effort with ”familiar fingerprints” from Western-backed groups.
The Islander, comments:
”This isn’t about democracy. It’s about control. Brussels has never wanted partners, it wants loyal provinces. And every time a nation resists, the EU’s commissars cry “disinformation,” as if sovereignty were a conspiracy theory.” – The Islander
Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia:
”Internal and external forces, which have been trying to destabilize Georgia for years, attempted to stage a decisive battle against the Georgian people and suffered a bitter defeat.”
Sources and related
- Aljazeera: Georgia ruling party wins election, says poll body amid opposition protests
- X.com: Shalva Papuashvili, comment
- X.com: The Islander, comment
- European Newsroom: EU condemns Georgia’s local elections as marred by repression
Georgia and Moldavia are next, after Ukraine. The Western war alliance moves on. https://t.co/gNwj2isv2G
— T. Sassersson, Editor@NewsVoice (@newsvoicemag) October 5, 2025