Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia, has declared victory over pro-Western opposition following a disputed election and escalating protests in Tbilisi. The opposition accuses the ruling Georgian Dream party of electoral fraud and authoritarianism. Protests have waned in attendance, yet the political crisis persists as the government prepares to elect a successor to the pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili. The U.S. has condemned the government’s crackdown on dissent, citing allegations of torture against detained protesters.