BY YURI ZORIA04/10/2025Protests in Tbilisi, Georgia, against the ruling pro-Russian party Georgian Dream on the local election day, 4 October 2025. Photos: Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.geGeorgia’s pro-Russian ruling party, Georgian Dream, claimed a sweeping victory in local elections held on 4 October, while tens of thousands took to the streets demanding their removal. Previously, the Georgian Dream party reversed Georgia’s path toward EU accession, steering the country closer to Russia and sidelining opposition MPs. He stated the ruling party had surpassed 70% in all municipalities and claimed voter turnout exceeded 1,430,000 — a figure he described as “very high” for local elections. ……..Georgian ruling party using Ukraine’s war destruction as campaign material, “crawling before Moscow”Pro-Russian Georgian Dream party continuing pattern of weaponizing Ukrainian trauma to intimidate voters.