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TBILISI, Georgia – The governing party in Georgia, which has increasingly steered the nation toward Russia and China, claimed victory Saturday in a parliamentary election that both the government and the opposition described as decisive for the country’s future.

Georgia’s splintered opposition did not admit defeat, setting the stage for a likely political crisis that could further polarize the struggle between the pro-Western opposition and the governing party, which aims to assert its conservative course.

The nation is a strategically important mountainous republic at the center of the Caucasus.

The Election Administration of Georgia, the body that administers elections in the country, reported Saturday night that the governing Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012, garnered 53% of the vote after nearly 72% of election precincts reported their results.

Speaking shortly after the polling stations closed