Georgia Prime Minister Praises ‘Overwhelming’ Vote Condemned as Manipulated by President

However, the prime minister insisted that out of 3,111 polling stations, incidents had occurred in “only a couple of districts”.

Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian, passing Russian-style laws targeting the media and foreign-funded non-governmental groups and the LGBT community. The European Union has responded by freezing Georgia’s bid to join the EU, accusing it of “democratic backsliding.”

However, one EU leader, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, has been especially quick to congratulate the party on its fourth term and is scheduled to travel to Georgia on Monday.

Georgian Dream says it is willing to start talks to revive its EU bid, although the sight of Orban arriving in Tbilisi two days after a disputed election is unlikely to be welcomed in Brussels.

In an opening statement on Sunday evening, the head of the European Council of EU leaders, Charles Michel, stated that “the alleged irregularities must be clarified and seriously addressed”, external and called for a rapid, transparent and independent investigation.

“Of course we have to address these irregularities that occur on or before election day,” the Georgian prime minister told the BBC. “But the overall content of the elections was in line with legal principles and the principle of democratic elections.”

The four opposition groups refused to recognize the election result, condemning it as falsified and accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of stealing votes.