Making history: Georgia opens first voting station in Southern Hemisphere
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For the first time in Georgia's history, the country opened an election station in the Southern Hemisphere for today's Parliamentary Elections.
The voting station was in Pretoria, the capital of the Republic of South Africa.
To ensure participation of Georgian citizens in the Parliamentary Elections of Georgia, for the first time in Georgia's history, Election District #56 opened in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Embassy of Georgia in the Republic of South Africa.
Meanwhile Georgia opened 55 voting stations in 40 countries across the globe to allow Georgian emigrants to have their say in the Parliamentary Elections.
A short time ago Central Election Commission spokesperson Ana Mikeladze said voter turnout was 8.34 percent by 10am - two hours after polling stations opened throughout the country.
At 8am this morning polling stations around the country opened for 3.5 million voters to elect a new Parliament that will later form the Government of Georgia. This will be the ninth Parliament in the history of independent Georgia.
It's been four hours since polling stations opened and so far the environment is peaceful and orderly, says Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, a leading local non-governmental organisation.
Several opposition leaders have already voted in Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections. Free Democrats leader, one of UNM's leaders and a Republican Party leader have cast their votes this morning.
By 3pm, more than one million people had voted in Georgia's Parliamentary Elections, said the Central Election Commission. This was 34.8 percent of all voters in the country.
By 5pm, more than 1.4 million citizens had cast their vote, said the Central Election Commission (CEC) in its latest media update.
The majority of Georgian citizens living abroad have voted to keep Georgian Dream in power.
Up to 5,000 Georgian citizens living abroad have voted in the October 8 Parliamentary Elections. Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) summed up the final results of the elections conducted at out-of-country polling stations yesterday.