Exit Polls Point to Georgian Dream Victory

TBILISI – With polls closed, initial reports indicate that the ruling Georgian Dream is headed to victory in Georgia’s parliamentary elections.

Exit polls released by the various news organizations point to a convincing victory for the incumbent party, who appear to have captured roughly 40 percent of the vote.

A poll conducted by Georgia's public broadcaster and other stations showed the ruling Georgian Dream party with nearly 54 percent of the vote Saturday and the opposition United National Movement at 19.5 percent support.

This contradicted an exit poll for the independent channel Rustavi-2, however, which put the figures at 39.9 percent for the ruling party and 32.7 percent for the UNM.

To the shock of most voters, the ultranationalist pro-Russian Patriotic Alliance appears to have placed third in the polls, with just under 5 percent of the vote.

The Alliance, known for its virulent anti-Westernism and promotion of “Orthodox Christian values” has gained a significant amount of popularity in recent months as a faltering economy and snail’s pace progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration has angered many Georgians. 

Former Defense Minister Iralki Alasania’s Free Democrats and Shalva Natelashvili’s Labor Party appear to have each captured just over 4 percent of the vote, according to exit polls.

The State for the People – led by former opera singer Paata Burchaladze – failed poorly after his party was mired in internal squabbles with fellow members and only managed to win about 2.5 percent of the votes cast.

Veteran lawmaker and staunch pro-Moscow supporter Nino Burjanadze and her leftist Democratic Movement finished in a near tie with Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili’s Republican Party – with each earning roughly 2 percent of the vote.

By Nicholas Waller

Photo: Sergei Grits, AP