Tbilisi he wakes up in a tense and suspended dawn, the gray sky almost reflecting the uncertainty that envelops the city. The electoral verdict explodes like thunder: with 54.23% of the votes, the Central Election Commission proclaims the victory of the pro-Russian party Georgian Dreamfounded by the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and in power since 2012. The party is accused of pushing the Georgia towards the Russian orbit, distancing the European dream that many citizens still cultivate with tenacity and hope.
With 99.3% of the votes counted, the triumph of Georgian Dream consolidates itself, marking a deep furrow in the fragile Georgian democracy. Behind him, the Coalition for Change collects 10.8%, followed by United National Movement (MNU) of the former president Mikheil Saakashvili at 10.1%, Georgia Strong with 8.8% e Gakharia for Georgia at 7.8%. The opposition, outraged, refuse to accept the results and denounce fraud, openly contesting the legitimacy of the vote.
The tension grows, supported by the direct stories of observers on site. Igor Boni of the delegation of Radical Europedescribes disturbing scenes of corruption and manipulation: «In Tbilisi, as everywhere, everyone saw the scenes of pre-voted ballots being forcibly stuffed into ballot boxes». The squares quickly filled with protesters, waving European flags and chanting the slogan ‘Georgia is not Russia’. “It’s a cry for freedom,” he says Boni«which recalls the sacrifice of Antonio Russo, the Italian journalist killed in 2000 for documenting Russian crimes in Chechnya. Today the crimes of Putin we see them every day in Ukraine. If the world hadn’t turned its head in 1999, perhaps history would be different”, concludes the historic radical exponent.
While the shadow of these elections envelops a day that now seems suspended in time, the country’s future appears even more uncertain. Transparency Internationalthe international non-governmental organization based in Germanyreporting at the closing of the polls over 150 cases of non-validated ballots, approximately 100 violations of voting secrecy, 350 episodes of unauthorized presence inside the polling stations, at least 100 cases of threats and physical violence, and over 160 limitations on the work of observers. Furthermore, more than 250 reports of violations were submitted, signs of an electoral climate that is far from clear.
Georgia is now divided between two opposing visions: on the one hand, Georgian Dream calls for peace; on the other, opposition members raise their tone, denouncing the vote as “stolen”. The leader of MNU, Tina Bokuchavadoes not mince words: «The vote was stolen. Victory was stolen from the Georgian people, and with it the European future.” Nika Gvaramiahead of the Coalition for Change, adds: «These elections are a constitutional coup d’état».
The opposition promises permanent protests against a government that it defines as illegitimate, but Kakha Kaladze, mayor of Tbilisi and general secretary of Georgian Dreamthreatens a “very harsh reaction”, increasing fears about the democratic future of the country. While the government appeals for stability, the pro-Western parties openly ask for the annulment of the elections, in a challenge that sees Ivanishvili accuse them of wanting to drag Georgia into war, labeling them as “the party of global war” and even calling for “Nuremberg trials” against his opponents.
Georgia appears to be on the brink of a possible internal conflict resulting in new international tensions. In the capital, the tension is palpable, but what is really at stake is not just an election, but the very destiny of a country suspended between East and West. There Russiajust across the border, strengthens its presence in Abkhazia And South Ossetiabreakaway territories that many Georgians consider an integral part of the nation. Meanwhile, Ukraine, already committed to resisting Russian aggression, fears remaining diplomatically isolated, seeing the bloc of countries opposed to Moscow’s influence crumble around it.
Although she was elected in 2018 with the support of the pro-Russian Georgian Dream, President Salome Zourabichvili sent a clear and unequivocal message: «European Georgia wins, despite attempts to rig the elections and without the votes of the diaspora». A statement that underlines the population’s deep desire to look to Europe, beyond the internal obstacles which, according to her, would aim to keep the country under Russian influence.
Stability or revolution, peace or repression, independence or submission? Faced with these crucial questions, the Georgia is preparing to shape its future, aware that the stakes are very high and that the entire Caucasus is waiting to see which path it will choose to take.
