In Tbilisi, Georgia, on October 26, 2024, Georgia’s most powerful man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, won a parliamentary election . According to early official results, it’s a victory which opposition politicians refused to recognize, alleging “falsification.” The ruling Georgian Dream Party’s billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the opposition, and foreign diplomats had cast the election as a watershed moment that would decide if Georgia moves closer to the West or leans back towards Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

If confirmed, Georgian Dream’s victory would prove a blow to those Georgians’ who hope for closer integration with Europe in a vote billed as a choice between the West and Russia. As the electoral commision mentioned, early official results with 70% of precincts counted, representing the majority of votes cast, showed that the ruling party won 53% of the vote. The results do not include most ballots cast by Georgians living overseas. This has led many Georgian Citizens to get together in the center of Tbilisi, right in front of the Parliament, to build and protest; protests have been lasting since 2023 and all the way into 2024. Many believe that the Georgian government has been rigging the elections, but there is no proof on that matter.