PM Garibashvili votes 'for the peaceful, stable development of our country'
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili hopes that the election day would be peaceful. Photo: IPN
Tweet 
Share
“I have voted for the peaceful and stable development of our country”, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said after casting his ballot in today’s municipal elections.
PM Garibashvili said the Georgian population needs to overcome poverty, have more jobs, welfare and unity.
This is our major dream and a goal”, PM Garibashvili told the journalists, hoping that the election day would be peaceful.
I call on the representatives of every party to show responsibility and ensure a really calm, exemplary elections aimed to further strengthen the Georgian democracy, the Georgian statehood and our Georgian society”, he said.
Georgia is holding municipal elections today where a total of 3, 497, 345 individuals are eligible to elect 2,068 members of 64 city assemblies and 64 mayors.
A total of 259,273 voters (7.41 per cent of eligible voters) have cast their ballots in the Georgian municipal elections as of 10 a.m. today, the Central Election Commission reports.
A total of 259,273 voters (7.41 per cent of eligible voters) have cast their ballots in the Georgian municipal elections as of 10 a.m. today. Georgia’s Central Election Commission says that the most active constituency is currently Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti where 11.2 per cent of registered voters have cast their vote.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that today’s municipal elections are a test for Georgian democracy, ‘which I hope that Georgia will successfully pass’, he said earlier today.
Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who now leads the opposition For Georgia party, has cast his ballot in today’s municipal elections and said that 'these are elections between the past and the future'. He called on the public to participate in the elections.
Joint opposition candidate for head of Tbilisi City Assembly, founder of the Droa opposition party, Elene Khoshtaria has cast her ballot in today’s municipal elections and said that the country’s fate is in the hands of voters.
The ruling Georgian Dream party head Irakli Kobakhidze says that former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili served Russian interests in Georgia for nine years when he was in power and 'now he is where he belongs.’ "He handed over 20% of our country's territories to the Russian Federation. He came to Georgia to continue working with Russia", Kobakhidze said.
United States Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan says ‘Georgia needs more political stability and not more polarization’. Degnan, who is visiting the precincts in Marneuli as an election observer, says ‘this is a very important day for Georgia’.
A total of 619,562 voters (17.72 per cent of eligible voters) have cast their ballots in the Georgian municipal elections as of 12 p.m. today. Georgia’s Central Election Commission says that Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is still the most active constituency where 27.4 per cent of registered voters have cast their vote.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has cast her ballot in today’s municipal elections and said that she voted for depolarisation. "Local elections are a chance for people to choose who will make decisions on some of the issues closest to them. Polarisation has no room in local elections. I voted for depolarisation", she said.
A total of 1,160,413 voters (33.18 per cent of eligible voters) have cast their ballots in the Georgian municipal elections as of 3 p.m. today. Georgia’s Central Election Commission says that Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is still the most active constituency where 47.5 per cent of registered voters have cast their vote.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili says that the ruling Georgian (GD) party is winning a ‘convincing victory’ in all municipalities in the elections and urged voters to actively participate in the race to ‘strengthen our victory.’ At a briefing earlier today Garibashvili said that ‘today we are able to finally defeat polarisation, destruction, hatred and lies in Georgian politics.’