Implications of Georgia's Parliamentary Election Results

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili stated Oct. 2 that the opposition Georgian Dream coalition led by Bidzina Ivanishvili defeated his United National Movement party in parliamentary elections. Saakashvili said his party would go into the opposition; the latest exit polls indicated that Georgian Dream could get as many as 110 seats in the 150-seat parliament. In reaction to the elections, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said the opposition's victory will lead to improved relations between Tbilisi and Moscow.

Ivanishvili's victory is the most significant change to Georgia's internal political dynamics in roughly a decade. However, the country's broader relationship with Russia and the West is unlikely to change as a result of the elections.