The ruling party is ahead in key Georgian elections, preliminary results show

Georgia's ruling party is ahead of Saturday's crucial election, with 70% of the vote counted.

The election commission said Georgian Dream – which favors cooperation with Russia – was leading with 53%, although parts of the various opposition parties also claimed victory.

The Unity electoral coalition, which includes the opposition United National Movement, is reported to have received around 10% of the vote, behind the Coalition for Change camp's around 11%.

But President Salome Zourabichvili, who has close ties to the opposition, told X that pro-European parties won 52% of the vote.

“I am proud and confident about our future in Europe,” he said.

Voter turnout is 59%

Voter turnout is estimated at 59%, according to preliminary figures.

About 3.5 million citizens were asked to vote at home and abroad.

A stunning victory for Georgian Dream could threaten the country's chances of joining the European Union after the group passed a number of controversial laws in recent years.

However, the process is frozen because of those controversial laws.

That is why, in the run-up to the vote, the pro-Western forces in particular spoke of a bad election for the country, which is at a crossroads and where both Russia and the West have strong influence.

The electoral success of the party founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili would mean the country's turning away from the EU and closer cooperation with its big neighbor Russia.

Ivanishvili became a millionaire through business deals in Russia.

Widespread reports of irregularities

During Saturday, local media reported incidents and clashes at polling stations.

In the small town of Marneuli in the southeast of the country, a man threw several ballot papers into a ballot box at a polling station, according to the Central Election Commission.

It is said that the results at the polling station will not be counted. The opposition parties and the government blamed each other for this incident.

The Ministry of the Interior has opened criminal charges.

Due to the tension in the country and concerns about electoral fraud, many observers have been deployed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to monitor the voting.

Electoral law experts have been complaining about the misuse of state resources by the ruling party.

About 500 observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are also on the ground. They will give their decision on the election on Sunday.