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The pro-Russian ruling party Georgian Dream has announced a sweeping victory in Georgia’s local elections, which were boycotted by parts of the pro-Western opposition. The announcement of the results triggered mass protests in Tbilisi, escalating into an attempted storming of the presidential palace, clashes with riot police, and the use of tear gas and water cannons.
According to official data from Georgia’s Central Election Commission, candidates from Georgian Dream won in all cities and municipalities across the country.
“Voting ended at 8:00 p.m. local time, after which the pro-government channel Imedi published an exit poll. According to this data, Kaladze received 77.4% in the Tbilisi mayoral race, and Georgian Dream gained over 76% of votes in the capital,” reports Echo of the Caucasus.
However, these elections took place under unprecedented circumstances. Major opposition parties — including Coalition for Change and United National Movement, which came second and third in the 2024 parliamentary elections — boycotted the vote. As a result, in 26 municipalities, candidates from the ruling party ran unopposed.
The political climate was extremely tense, as many opposition leaders and activists — including former president Mikheil Saakashvili — spent election day behind bars on various charges.
In addition, the elections were held with limited international monitoring: only 28 international organizations observed the process — 13 times fewer than in 2021. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) did not send a mission, as it received an invitation less than a month before the vote.
Even before polling stations closed, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared that his party was winning more than 70% nationwide. Shortly after the exit polls were released, Georgian Dream leaders — led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili — proclaimed victory.
At the same time, in central Tbilisi, the opposition held a rally, announcing plans for a “peaceful overthrow of the government.” Following calls from leaders, including National Movement representative Murtaz Zodelava, part of the protesters marched toward the Orbeliani presidential palace. Demonstrators managed to breach the fence and enter the palace courtyard.
In response, security forces used pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse the crowd, and additional riot police units were deployed.
“Clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. There are injured and detained individuals. Some protesters erected barricades near the palace and set them on fire”, reports Echo of the Caucasus.
According to Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, 14 law enforcement officers were injured during the clashes, one of them in serious condition. The ministry launched a criminal investigation under several serious articles, including calls for the violent overthrow of state power and attempted seizure of a high-security facility.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze called the events “a failed attempt to overthrow the government” and promised harsh punishment for all participants. He stated that “more than 30 shameless participants in the violence may face arrest” and accused foreign intelligence services of organizing the protests.
“Overnight, members of the organizational committee of the October 4 rally — opposition figures Paata Burchuladze, Murtaz Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, Paata Mandzhgaladze, and Lasha Beridze — were detained. They are charged with inciting the violent change of Georgia’s constitutional order or overthrow of the government, as well as organizing, leading, and participating in group acts of violence. These crimes carry sentences of up to nine years in prison,” the Interior Ministry stated.
Fifth President Salome Zurabishvili did not support the actions of some opposition members, saying that “this parody of an assault on the presidential palace could only have been staged by the regime itself to discredit the 310-day peaceful protest of the Georgian people.”
