Ruling party, opposition both ‘happy’ with exit poll results
The Georgian Dream ruling party says that the government ensured the conduct of free and fair elections. Photo: Georgian Dream press office.
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The ruling Georgian Dream party says that it has won the elections as all exit polls released by four different TV channels have put their vote count between 41-55 %.
Meanwhile opposition parties, citing the exit poll commissioned by the opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi and their own parties, claim that the Georgian Dream only received a bit more than 30 per cent in the proportional elections.
UNM member Salome Samadashvili said that the opposition received 57 per cent of votes in the elections, while the ruling party 41 per cent.
One of the leaders of the United National Movement Zaal Udumashvili said that ‘it is a big day in the history of Georgia. The day when the Georgian Dream was defeated.’
The third President of Georgia, and now a citizen of Ukraine, Mikheil Saakashvili has already called on the opposition to cooperate to form a coalition government.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has written on Facebook that ‘we have won. We have conducted an exemplary, free, fail and democratic election despite the pandemic.’
“We have shown the whole world once again that we are an inseparable part of the European civilisation and we deserve our dignified place in a big European family, and we will take that place!”
Georgian Dream leaders Archil Talakvadze and Kakha Kaladze stated that ‘not only the Georgian Dream, Georgia won the elections.’
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They said that winning the party means that the country’s democratic development will continue.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has started an investigation into nine incidents that were observed during the parliamentary elections today, announced Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kakha Sabanadze. He said that in total 10 individuals were arrested in relation to seven cases of administrative violations.
Exit polls commissioned by Mtavari Arkhi, Formula TV and Rustavi 2 say the ruling Georgian Dream party received between 41-53% in the proportional part of the elections. An election bloc or party which receives less than 40.54 per cent of votes (less then 76 seats in the 150-member parliament) in the proportional elections will not be able to form a government. Unlike previous elections, the parties which will receive at least one per cent of total votes will be allowed into parliament.
Opposition parties in Georgia claim that the ruling Georgian Dream party has lost the parliamentary elections. Giga Bokeria of the European Georgia said one hour before the end of the elections that 'according to all our data the Ivanishvili regime has been defeated'.
US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan says “It’s very important that as the officials begin to count the ballots, supporters of all political parties respect the work of election officials, accept the official results calmly, and show that these elections meet international standards from start to finish”.
Polling stations closed in Georgia at 20:00, by which time 1,970,540 Georgian voters had cast their ballots in the Georgian parliamentary elections, says the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia.
Rustavi 2 TV commissioned exit poll results show that as of 8 p.m. the ruling Georgian Dream party received 51.36% of support in the proportional part of the elections, followed by the opposition United National Movement with 25.38%
Mtavari Arkhi TV has released separate results of its exit polls carried out by IPSOS. It says in all constituencies except from Gldani, predicting the runoff between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition candidates in the majoritarian part of the elections.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has thanked international partners and observers for their ‘commitment to Georgia’s democracy’ during the election day.
Election commissions across Georgia have received 289 complaints about polling violations, the Central Election Commission said following the closure of stations, with most of the formal objections relating to "procedural" issues.
The Central Election Commission will announce the first official results of the parliamentary elections five to seven hours after polling stations close across the country, the body has announced. A briefing for the media at the CEC said the initial data would be made available after "all procedures" related to counting bulletins of the polling. Election body spokesperson Ana Mikeladze said practice showed between five and seven hours required for the initial count.