Georgia launches partial vote recount after opposition protests election results

A protester holds a Georgian flag during an opposition protest against the results of the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, October 28, 2024.

Georgia's central election commission said it will recount ballots from five polling stations randomly selected from each election district following the opposition's refusal to recognise the results of the weekend parliamentary election. The commission earlier said the ruling Georgian Dream party had won the election with 53.9 percent of votes.

Georgia's central election commission said it will partially recount ballots Tuesday, after opposition parties denounced the weekend parliamentary election as "stolen".

US President Joe Biden added his voice to Western critics of the election, saying he was "deeply alarmed" by democratic "backsliding" in the Caucasus country and that the vote was marred by "voter intimidation and coercion".

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had defied Western concerns over the vote and travelled to Tbilisi in a show of support for the ruling conservative Georgian Dream party.

Pro-Western opposition parties have refused to recognise the results of Saturday's vote, which they claim was falsified in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

According to near-complete results announced by the commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.9 percent, compared with the 37.7 percent for a union of four opposition alliances.


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