Saturday’s legislative elections in the former Soviet republic see pro-Russians and pro-Europeans pitted against each other.
Georgians called to the polls to choose between pro-Russians and pro-Europeans.
The former Soviet republic of four million inhabitants is a turning point.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has ruled the country since 2012.
The pro-European opposition accuses the government of taking an authoritarian turn and maneuvering to reconnect Georgia’s destiny with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Last spring, the government passed a law on “foreign influence” directly copied from Russian legislation to suppress dissenting voices.
Three weeks before the election, Georgian Dream promulgated a law restricting the rights of LGBT+ people.
Georgia left Moscow’s orbit after the fall of the USSR.
Thirty three years later, Russia maintains troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two separatist regions of Georgia.