Elections 2016: Who did Georgian emigrants vote for?

The majority of Georgian citizens living abroad have voted to keep Georgian Dream in power.

Today Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) revealed latest preliminary results of polling stations located.

The results of Saturday's Parliamentary Election showed which parties Georgian emigrants voted for.

The preliminary results from 57 voting stations abroad are: 

• Georgian Dream – 39.6%
• United National Movement – 33.8%
• Free Democrats – 10.42%
• Usupashvili – Republicans – 3.76%
• Shalva Natelashvili - Georgian Labour Party – 3.74 percent
• Paata Burchuladze – State for People – 1.91%
• Alliance of Patriots – 1.87%
• Nino Burjanadze – Democratic Movement – 1.27%
• Other parties - less than one percent of votes.

Georgia opened 57 voting stations in 40 countries to allow Georgian emigrants to have their say in the elections. On Saturday Georgian diaspora were only eligible to vote for parties and not majoritarian candidates.

The second largest number of Georgian diaspora currently live in Greece. Six voting stations opened in Greece for more than 14,000 Georgian emigrants. Two polling stations also opened in Afghanistan for Georgian peacekeepers.

For the first time in Georgia's history, the country opened an election station in the Southern Hemisphere. The polling booth was located in Pretoria, the capital of the Republic of South Africa.

Meanwhile Georgian citizens living in Russia were not able to vote in Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections as no polling stations opened in Russia for Georgian citizens.

Russia and Georgia cut diplomatic ties following the five-day Russia-Georgia war in August 2008.