Georgian Dream, which is pro-western but also favours closer ties with Russia, the country’s former ruler, declared victory shortly after polls closed on Saturday. “I congratulate you with a big victory, Georgia,” Georgi Kvirikashvili, the prime minister, told jubilant supporters who had gathered outside the party’s headquarters in the capital, Tbilisi. The UNM disputed the result, and said there was still a chance for the party to strengthen its position. Georgian Dream is expected to get a super-majority in the assembly if it also prevails in the district votes, scheduled to be held before the end of this month. The feud has dogged Georgia since the last parliamentary vote in 2012, when Ivanishvili’s party, then a member of the multi-party Georgian Dream coalition, won a majority of the seats on offer.

Source: The Guardian October 10, 2016 14:48 UTC