Central Election Commission:
All polling stations are open to voters

Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has hosted its first information briefing announcing the opening of polling booths for today’s election runoff.

Earlier today CEC spokesperson Ani Mikeladze said all polling stations for the second round of elections opened at 8am. 

Since the voting process was being carried out peacefully.

The second round of the 2016 Parliamentary Elections is taking place today in 50 majoritarian districts; 18 of them in capital Tbilisi and the remaining 32 in Georgia’s regions.

See all updated results of the First and Second Rounds of Parliamentary Elections on Agenda.ge’s Interactive Map

• Municipal by-elections to elect Sakrebulo (local council) members are being held in eastern Lagodekhi and western Senaki municipalities.
• Extraordinary elections are being conducted to elect the Mayor of Akhaltsikhe in Georgia’s south.
• Gamgebeli (local governors) elections are underway in western Zugdidi and Kharagauli and eastern Bolnisi areas.

754 polling stations are accessible for voters in wheelchairs and are equipped with special ballot booths,” Mikeladze said.

She added the CEC had extended the accreditations of international and local observer organisations and media organisations who had registered to observe the first round of the 2016 Parliamentary Elections, held on October 8. 

Observers of the second round of elections include:

• 582 representatives of 7 media organisations 
• 221 observer of 10 international organisations
• 12,122 observers from local observer organisations.

The CEC urged the public to act responsibly today as the electoral process continued. The agency said any actions that supported political parties were prohibited at polling stations today. It was also prohibited for television and radio companies to broadcast free or paid political advertisements today.

No public surveys were permitted until after voting closed at 8pm this evening.