On Saturday, Georgians went to the polls amid a tense atmosphere. A video began circulating of a man attempting to stuff multiple ballots while election observers tried to stop him. Dozens of people and cameras were present, and the footage quickly spread across local, international, and social media platforms. Additional videos of scuffles outside polling stations also gained wide attention, painting a picture of widespread violence and ballot-stuffing.

As voting ended, three exit polls appeared, each commissioned by different forces. The Edison poll, which favored the opposition, showed the various forces critical of the ruling Georgian Dream party total 51 percent of the vote — enough to form a government. They declared victory, with President Salome Zourabichvili — head of state, but today an opponent of the government — thanking the electorate for their political maturity and “Europeanity [sic].” Yet, the pro-government poll had the ruling party at 56 percent, and the other opposition poll put it at 41-42 percent. Both camps claimed victory, though at first Western media largely reported on the opposition’s supposed lead.

As the count progressed, Georgian Dream maintained a lead of over 50 percent, and President Zourabichvili suddenly fell silent. The opposition, which had been running parallel vote counts, stopped releasing their data. One by one, opposition parties declared the election had been rigged.