Polls for second round of by-elections open in Georgia
A second round of elections was needed as none of the candidates managed to overcome the 50 per cent threshold during the first round on May 19. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Georgians head to the polls today to elect an MP in the Mtsatsminda district of Tbilisi.
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia in October, 2016, but the seat became vacant after former MP Salome Zurabishvili was elected the country’s fifth President.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. this morning for 43,909 eligible voters at 31 polling stations. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
The second round of elections was needed as none of the candidates managed to overcome the 50 per cent threshold during the first round on May 19.
The second round is taking place between the ruling Georgian Dream party candidate Lado Kakhadze and the opposition Free Democrats and the European Georgia nominated Shalva Shavguilidze.
Kakhadze received 41.01 per cent of votes in the first round, while Shavgulidze received 36.84 per cent.
The election legislation prohibits any election campaigning at the polling stations on election day.
It also prohibits election campaign paid or free advertisements on TV and radio broadcasters or to publish public opinion polls until the voting ends.
- 5,169 observers of 52 local organisations have registered to monitor by-elections;
- 53 observers of 7 international organisations have registered to observe the race;
- 1,919 representatives of 45 media outlets have registered to cover the Election Day;
- 123 representatives of election subjects have also registered to monitor the process.
All the polling stations will close at exactly 8 p.m. and the process of counting votes will begin immediately.
The CEC Spokesperson Ana Mikeladze held the first news briefing soon after the polling stations were open in the Mtsatsminda district this morning. Photo: CEC
The Central Election Commission called on all eligible voters “to actively participate” in today’s elections.
CEC also addressed everyone engaged in the electoral process to help ensure that elections are held “in a calm and free environment”.
A second round of by-elections will be held on June 9 and will take place only in the Mtatsminda district of Tbilisi, where none of the candidates managed to overcome the 50 per cent threshold during the first round, held on May 19.
The Georgian Dream ruling party has stated that they have won an “overwhelming” victory in yesterday’s by-elections, while opposition leaders have made different statements, contradicting one another.
The Georgian Central Election Commission has counted all the votes casted in yesterday’s by-election in Tbilisi and the regions. According to the preliminary results, candidates of the Georgian Dream ruling party won the race for mayors in five cities, as well as seats in eight city assemblies.
The ruling Georgian Dream party candidates are leading in the May 19 by-elections in the majority of election precincts. Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze announced the results of some of the election districts late on Sunday.
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced today’s “parliamentary elections” in occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), which “blatantly violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders”.
The Central Election Commission has counted all the votes cast in the second round of MP by-elections in the Mtsatsminda district of Tbilisi. According to the preliminary results, the ruling Georgian Dream party candidate Lado Kakhadze has won the race.
Georgian ruling and opposition parties have provided different evaluations of Sunday’s by elections in Tbilisi, in which candidate of the Georgian Dream ruling party (GD) Lado Kakhadze defeated the joint nominee of the European Georgia and the Free Democrats opposition parties Shalva Shavgulidze with almost 62 per cent of votes.
The candidates of the Georgian Dream ruling party have won the city assembly by elections conducted in the Lagodekhi, Adigeni and Martvili municipalities of Georgia yesterday, the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) says.