Parliament speaker casts ballot in municipal run-offs
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Kakha Kuchava has cast his ballot in today’s municipal run-offs saying he voted for the ruling party candidate Kakha Kaladze.
Of course I voted for Kakha Kaladze because I think he is unreplaceable considering the projects he has carried out in last four years as well as his plans for the next four years. I am sure in his victory”, Kuchava said.
He further said that in the first round of the elections on October 2 the ruling Georgian Dream party has received 47 percent of votes which is ‘a convincing victory’.
Georgian Dream is convincingly leading in municipal elections with 47.25 percent of votes after over 90 percent of preliminary votes counted. pic.twitter.com/pitw8vrfEA
— Georgian Dream (@GeorgianDream41) October 3, 2021
A total of 1,830 polling stations opened at 8 a.m. in 20 of 64 election constituencies, including all five big cities of Georgia - Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Batumi and Poti as Georgian is holding municipal run-offs today.
- Incumbent Tbilisi mayor Kaladze ‘sorry’ for need for runoff, says he is ‘sure’ he will win next vote
There are 2,088,722 voters registered for the municipal run-offs, including 1,002,525 in Tbilisi. The voters will head to polls to elect 20 mayors and 42 majoritarian members of the City Councils (Sakrebulos).
Georgian is holding municipal run-offs in 20 of 64 election constituencies, including all five big cities of Georgia - Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Batumi and Poti. A total of 2,088,722 registered voters can elect mayors and city council (Sakrebulo) members at 1,830 polling stations countrywide.
Incumbent Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze says that he expected victory in the first round of yesterday’s municipal elections, but says he is sure he will be victorious in the second round.
Georgia's top tennis player Basilashvili has recorded a message in support of incumbent Tbilisi mayor Kaladze ahead of the municipal election runoff on Saturday in Georgia, wishing the politician success in the tightly contested mayor race.
The second round of municipal elections will take place in Georgia tomorrow, including in all big cities of the country, amid a polarized political environment and continued rivalry between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the main opposition, the United National Movement. The GD claims they will ‘finally defeat and end the UNM’ in the race, describing it ‘as an evil force’ which has been hampering development for 18 years, while the UNM still hopes the run-offs will lead to snap parliamentary elections ‘and the changing of the GD government.’
Ruling Georgian Dream party chair Irakli Kobakhide, who has cast his ballot in today’s municipal run-offs, said the choice is ‘very simple’ between the two political forces – the Georgian Dream and the opposition United National Movement.
A total of 154,163 voters (7.38 per cent of eligible voters) have cast their ballots in the Georgian municipal run-offs as of 10 a.m. today. Voter turnout in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi stands at 7.4 per cent.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has cast her ballot in today’s municipal run-offs, said she hopes polarisation will end in Georgia.