Georgia’s Interior Ministry: Situation under control in Marneuli
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A physical confrontation has erupted at an election station in southern Georgia’s Marneuli district this evening, injuring several police officers.
The country's Ministry of Internal Affairs said supporters of opposition United National Movement party (UNM) and election bloc Paata Burchuladze - State for People attacked #48 polling station in Kizilajlo Village, which is mainly populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis.
Police said the group were "very violent" and they threw stones at the polling station, shattering several windows. The Ministry said the hooligans intended to steal the ballot box.
Police entered the building to defend the ballot box however the attackers threw stones at the law enforcers.
The Interior Ministry said several police officers, including the Chief of Marneuli Police, were injured in the attack.
A short time ago the Ministry said the mob had been dispersed and the situation was now "under control".
"The attackers failed to steal the ballot box,” said the Ministry.
A spokesperson from the Central Election Commission confirmed the ballot box remained in place and had not been stolen.
Additional police forces have been sent to Marneuli area to keep the peace.
Opposition United National Movement (UNM) party denied its supporters were involved in the incident where several police officers were injured after being hit by stones and other debris.
Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) has commented on the clash at a voting station in Marneuli today and confirmed the ballot box was safe.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili thanked the country’s police for "preventing a very serious, well-planned provocation” during yesterday's election. Last night he visited injured police officer, Deputy Chief of Kvemo Kartli regional Police, Ramin Ismailov at Tbilisi Ingorokva Hospital.
Georgia's Central Election Commission chairperson Tamar Zhvania revealed details of "serious physical confrontations" that took place at several voting stations during Election Day yesterday.
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation into several cases of violence that erupted at polling stations during yesterday’s Parliamentary Elections.
It’s Monday but children in a small village in southern Georgia could not go to school today. The reason was very political even though children are not interested in politics at all.
Today Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed six people aged between 19 and 25 were detained for committing and inciting violence at #48 polling station in Kizil-Ajlo village in southern Marneuli district.The names of the six people have not been publicly released.