Zurabishvili Wins Georgian Presidential Election

Georgian President-elect Zurabishvili pictured in 2013. Wikimedia Commons.

The people of Georgia went to the polls to vote in a presidential runoff election on November 28, reports the New York Times. Ruling party-backed Salome Zurabishvili won nearly 60 percent of the vote, defeating opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze. The runoff was the country’s last popular vote presidential election, as they will be transitioning to an electoral college system by 2024.

President-elect Zurabishvili ran a campaign focused on balancing relations between the West and Russia, according to Reuters. Vashadze, who served as Georgia’s prime minister from 2008-2012, was decidedly more pro-Western and was expected to promote an agenda of NATO integration if elected.

Zurabishvili received an endorsement from Georgian Dream, the country’s ruling party. The party is the creation of Georgia’s richest man, billionaire banker Bidzina Ivanishvili. Opposition leaders claim that he runs the country behind the scenes.

The election results have since been rejected by Vashadze, who called for a peaceful demonstration to be held in the nation’s capital, Tbilisi, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL).

International  observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights stated that one side enjoyed “undue advantage” and that both campaigns “undermined [the electoral] process.”

Although Georgia’s transition to a parliamentary republic means a reduced role for the president, Georgian Dream’s alleged tactics pose a danger to opposition voters and minorities. Outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili expressed concern about the “sharp drop” in democratic standards during the election.