PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, chairman of GDDG party, addresses supporters after the polls closed in the parliamentary elections, October 8, 2016. Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who chairs ruling GDDG party, congratulated supporters with a “huge” election victory shortly after exit poll results were announced after polls closed in the October 8 parliamentary elections.
 
Although figures from early results of two separate exit polls differ largely, both of them put GDDG ruling party ahead of UNM party. GDDG has 34 percentage point lead over UNM in an exit poll, commissioned jointly by public broadcaster, Imedi TV, Maestro TV and GDS TV; but the ruling party has about 7 percentage point lead over UNM.

The vote count is now underway and official early results are not yet available.

• UNM Reacts to Exit Poll Results

“Let me congratulate you on this huge victory,” PM Kvirikashvili told supporters from the stage, which was erected outside the GDDG party headquarters in Tbilisi.

Ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili was also on the stage, standing alongside with other leaders of the ruling party.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, ex-PM and founder of ruling GDDG party, on the stage outside GDDG headquarters in Tbilisi along with party’s MP candidates, October 8, 2016. Photo: Guram Muradov/Civil.ge

“Today Georgia once again gave an answer to the very important question whether human dignity is the most important for us – and of course it is. According to all the preliminary data, Georgian Dream has a big lead in the elections,” he said.

“This is a huge victory. I want to congratulate you and thank you all, who showed a huge support to the political force, which made an important breakthrough in Georgia’s life,” he said.
 
“Of course we are waiting for the official election results from the Central Election Commission, but according to all the preliminary results, Georgian Dream is winning by a very large margin,” Kvirikashvili said.
 
Ivanishvili told the supporters from the same stage: “I want to thank those voters who supported Georgian Dream and they have not been mistaken in their choice; let me remind you that you will not lose anything; today you have made a very dignified choice. Be sure that our country will be developed in the right direction.”