99% of votes counted, presidential election runoff inevitable

The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) has counted 99 per cent of the votes after yesterday’s presidential elections – a second round of voting is inevitable.

3,689 of a total of 3,705 polling stations have been counted: the ruling Georgian Dream  party supported independent candidate Salome Zurabishvili received 38.6 per cent of the vote and the presidential candidate of ten opposition parties, Grigol Vashadze, received 37.7 per cent.

The results mean that 61.964 people voted for Zurabishvili and 599.662 for Vashadze.

The presidential candidate of the European Georgia opposition party David Bakradze received 10.9 per cent of the vote.

Leader of the Labour Party Shalva Natelashvili received 3.7 per cent of votes and former parliament speaker and leader of the Development Movement David Usupashvili- 2.2 per cent of votes.

CEC announced that 1,637,956 voters cast ballots in the elections, which amounted to 46.7 per cent of total registered voters.

3,518,890 voters had the right to cast ballots in the elections.

The election turnout was 45.4 per cent, while in the 2013 presidential elections turnout was 46.6 per cent.

The CEC stated that the elections were conducted in a calm, free and transparent environment and 364 complaints were written about possible procedural and other violations at voting stations.

• Read the Agenda.ge story to learn why today’s elections are so special.
• See the Agenda.ge election map.