The ruling Georgian Dream party has won Georgia’s parliamentary election, but the celebrations may be shortlived, as accusations of vote rigging from the opposition raised fears of instability.

Early exit polls put the party of prime minister Georgy Kvirikashvili ahead with around 50% of the vote.

“I want to congratulate this very big victory of our country, of our homeland. This is a victory for each of us. This victory came after a long battle,” he told supporters.

This was a truly free and fair election, which firmly cements #Georgia’s democracy. The real winners today are the Georgian people. #gvote— Giorgi Kvirikashvili (@KvirikashviliGi) October 8, 2016


The opposition United National Movement came in second with around 20% of the vote. They accused the government of ‘stealing’ the vote and held a protest outside the electoral commission.

According to local observers there were several violations during the count, including attackers throwing stones at a polling station, as they demanded the vote be cancelled.

A press conference from international election observers is expected later in the day.