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.<br /><br /> Early exit polls put the party of prime minister Georgy Kvirikashvili ahead with around 50% of the vote.<br /><br /> “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.<br /><br /> 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<br /> <br /><br /> 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.<br /><br /> 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. <br /><br /> A press conference from international election observers is expected later in the day.<br />
