87-year-old Georgian citizen crosses occupation line to vote
Data Vanishvili hopes that after the elections there will be no barbed-wire fences in front of his house. Photo: N.Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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87-year-old Data Vanishvili, whose yard is divided in two by Russian-erected illegal barbed wire fences, crossed the occupation line early in the morning to cast his vote in the presidential elections.
Vanishvili says that he had been warned by the Russia-controlled troops not to “cross the border”, but he did so anyway and voted at the Khurvaleti village polling station.
It is my country and I wanted to vote. I cut my hand when I was trying to get across the fence. When i did so and had walked a certain distance, I found that I did not have my passport with me and I had to return back to the fence, where my wife handed me my passport.
I voted to see the barbed-wire fences removed so that I can cultivate my garden and stop living alone, without free contact with my neighbors,” Vanishvili said.
Vanishvili’s house appeared under Russian control in the wake of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
Russia-controlled so-called border guards are standing in front of the home of 85-year-old Georgian citizen Data Vanishvili to prevent him from voting in the Georgian presidential election runoff.
38.16% of total voters or 1,337,284 people have cast their votes in the presidential elections. The polls will close at 20 p.m. tonight.
The Central Election Commission has reported that 30.98% of total voters have voted for their favourite presidential candidate so far which amounts to 1,085,730 people.
Agenda.ge has put together vital election information in the form of an interactive, online map of Georgia so you can easier understand and learn about the 2018 presidential elections.
The ruling Georgian Dream-supported independent candidate Salome Zurabishvili has cast her vote at polling station No. 3 in Krtsanisi election district, in central Tbilisi, and said that had voted for a peaceful, united and democratic Georgia.
Voter turnout for the presidential elections in Georgia was at 15.95% by 12 p.m., the Central Election Commission (CEC) reports.
Georgia is electing its fifth president on Sunday and for the first time in the Georgian history a female candidate has a real chance to take the post.
The occupying forces illegally detained a man and his wife living in the village of Khurvaleti near occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region. Malkhaz Vanishvili, 30, is the grandson of Davit Vanishvili, whose house and agricultural lands are divided in two by occupying forces for several years now.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated that he is ‘truly heartbroken’ by the recent death of Data Vanishvili, a man who has refused to leave his house in the village of Khurvaleti despite the fact the part of the house and his agricultural lands were occupied by Russians.Back in 2013 Data Papa woke up to find that a barbed wire fence installed by Russian border guards had cut his house off from the rest of Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and President Salome Zurabishvili have stated that they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the death of Data Vanishvili, a man who has refused to leave his house in the village of Khurvaleti despite the fact the part of the house and his agricultural lands were occupied by Russians.