Preliminary results: Second round needed after Saturday’s repeat vote
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Preliminary results of yesterday's repeat vote shows a second round is needed at all four polling stations as no candidate overcame the minimum 50 percent threshold.
Yesterday a repeat vote of Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections was held at four polling stations across the country after these initial results were nullified after incidents on Election Day on October 8.
One station was in Marneuli district in southern Georgia and the other three were in Zugdidi district in western Georgia.
At 2am this morning Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) released latest preliminary results from all four polling stations where the repeat vote was held.
The results are:
#48 polling station in Marneuli district
Two candidates with the highest number of votes were:
- Akmamed Imamkulievi from United National Movement (UNM) – 48.11 percent
- Tamaz Naveriani from Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GDDG) – 43.43 percent
#38, #79 and #108 polling stations in Zugdidi district
Two candidates with the highest number of votes at all of these three stations were:
- Edisher Toloraia from Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia – 48.63 percent
- Sandra Roelofs from United National Movement – 44.8 percent
Why is a second round needed?
On Election Day majoritarian candidates must gain at least 50 percent of all votes in their respective voting district in order to be able to enter Parliament.
If no candidate gains at least a half of all votes, a second round of voting must be held. The two candidates who gained the most support in the initial vote will compete.
According to the preliminary results, candidates from UNM and GDDG will compete in the second round.
The CEC said the second round will take place on October 30.
Gamgebeli by-elections
In Zugdidi municipality the public also voted to elect a Gamgebeli (local governor) as several local officials had to quit their posts to participate in the elections.
Preliminary results showed a winner was not identified in the Gamgebeli by-elections so a second round is needed here too.
The two candidates with the highest number of votes in the Gamgebeli by-elections were:
- Besik Gabunia from United National Movement – 44.82 percent
- Lasha Gogia - from Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia – 44.17 percent
All four polling stations where a repeat vote of Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections was held have closed and results being tallied show over 2,000 people cast their votes today.
By 5pm almost 43 percent of eligible voters have had their say in the repeat vote. This meant by 5pm 615 peoplehad voted in Marneuli and 1,218 people had voted in Zugdidi, said the CEC.
CEC spokesperson Ana Mikeladze said voter turnout was 20.6 percent in Marneuli and 18.46 percent in Zugdidi at 12pm - four hours after polling stations opened in today's repeat vote.
One of the leaders of opposition party United National Movement (UNM), Georgia’s ex-First Lady Sandra Roelofs is refusing to participate in the second round of the Parliamentary Elections after claiming the official election results were falsified.
Over 2.2m ballot papers printed for October 30 vote
Georgia’s Central Election Commission has started printing ballot papers for the October 30 second round of Parliamentary Elections. A total of 2,226,600 ballot papers will be printed for the election runoff.