Georgia’s ruling party and pro-western opposition both claim election victory

Poll result could determine whether country veers towards Russia or continues path to join EU

Georgia’s ruling party and the pro-western opposition both claimed victory in a pivotal parliamentary election widely seen as a make-or-break vote for the country’s long-held aspiration for EuU membership.

Voters in the Caucasus country of almost 4 million people on Saturday headed to the polls in an election depicted as a watershed moment that would determine whether one of the once most pro-western former Soviet states would veer towards a more authoritarian, Russia-aligned path.