Margvelashvili wins, UNM ready for “future obligations”
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, October 29
Preliminary results of the Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed that the presidential candidate of the Georgian Dream coalition, Giorgi Margvelashvili, has won the election with 62%, of the vote. He is followed by the United National Movement's (UNM) Davit Bakradze with 21% of the votes. Then comes Democratic Movement-United Georgia’s Nino Burjanadze -10%, Labor Party’s Shalva Natelashvili – 2. 8% and the Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM)’s Giorgi Targamadze -1%.
Bakradze congratulated Margvelashvili om his victory as the outcomes of the exit polls became known to the public. However, Bakradze emphasized that through the election “the UNM confirmed that it is a leading political force,” which will effectively take control of the presidency and the government. However, some other challengers claim they will hold large-scale manifestations to defend “grabbed victory.”
“We have displayed that we are politicians who enjoy high political responsibility. We are ready to recognize the outcomes represented by the CEC according to the interests of the country,” Bakradze stressed.
“We should all respect the election results,” incumbent President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Sunday. He stated that any kind of retreat is temporary; based on those traditions, which the UNM created in the last 10 years and which cannot be eradicated by anything.
Presidential candidate Burjanadze is confident that during the re-counting of the votes, the figures will change.
“I know the public mood towards me,” she stresses.
The Labor Party’s Natelashvili claims that nothing is over yet.
“The main battle is ahead, I appeal to the public to boycott the outcomes in front of the parliament building,” Natelashvili said. He appealed to the international community not to confirm the outcomes of the “criminal deal” between the UNM and GD.
Former member of the Georgian Dream coalition Koba Davitashvili believes that the election was falsified.
However, through his statements, it is quite difficult to guess whether the election was falsified or there was some other reason.
“The outcome does not reflect the public mood, or we have such a public that still wants to be in the pincers of the same political figures,” Davitashvili said.
The CDM’s Giorgi Targamadze claimed that the coalition's pressure tactics influenced the electorate.
Political analyst Ramaz Sakvarelidze stresses that the outcome of the election “was surprising.”
Sakvarelidze emphasized that the votes the second and third challengers received attracted his attention most of all.
“A year ago 90% of public refused the UNM and now 20% of voters expressed trust towards the UNM. Such growth in rating needs explanation. Nothing important has been made by the UNM this year… Maybe, the public has seen something positive in the UNM and the analysts could not mention it?” Sakvarelidze said.
He also stressed that many leaders participated in the elections and most of them received minimal votes.
“This is also a sign that the Georgian political spectrum has become old. I think that very soon Georgian politics will be rejuvenated,” Sakvarelidze said.