Confrontations in Zugdidi: GD mayoral candidate blames UNM for provocations
The clash at the 20th electoral district of Zugdidi started after the UNM activist Giorgi Mumladze called Tsotseria’s supporters ‘separatists.’ Photo: Video grab from 1tv.ge
Tweet 
Share
Police have detained several people amid physical confrontations at Zugdidi electoral district.
Zugdidi mayoral candidate from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Mamuka Tsotseria accused the United National Movement (UNM) activists of staging provocations.
The clash at the 20th voting station of Zugdidi started after the UNM activist Giorgi Mumladze called Tsotseria’s supporters ‘separatists.’
Mumladze claims that he referred to the GD supporters as ‘separatists’ after he was asked why he came to Zugdidi all the way from Kvemo Kartli region to monitor the elections.
Verbal confrontation took place between the UNM’s youth organisation members and the district commission head at Zugididi’s 10th voting station.
UNM youth members said that they were monitoring the elections when they got kicked out of the station.
The district commission head explained that the UNM members tried to stage provocations and were asked to leave the station after ‘several verbal warnings.’
Anzor Melia from the UNM is running against Tsotseria at Zugdidi mayoral elections. At the first round of elections, Melia received 46.88% of the total votes, while Tsotseria got 41.15%.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the GD is winning in 18 out of 20 municipalities, saying that in the remaining two municipalities the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party is close to 50% threshold.
United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan and Head of European Union Delegation Carl Hartzell encourage the public to come out and make their voices heard in today’s municipal run-offs in Georgia.
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.
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.’
Election polls commissioned by the opposition-oriented TV channel Mtavari Arkhi says that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) mayoral candidate and incumbent Kakha Kaladze will receive 51.6%, while Nika Melia from the United National Movement (UNM) will get 48.4% in municipal election run-offs in Tbilisi on October 30.
According to the final results of the first round in the race, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party received 46.74 per cent of the vote, the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party received 30.68 per cent of the vote while ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party garnered 7.79 per cent of the vote.
MP Ani Tsitlidze from the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party has been escorted by the police out of Zugdidi’s 21st polling station. The incident reportedly took place after the UNM’s election commission member, two journalists, and an NGO representative got kicked out of the station.
Tbilisi mayor candidate from the United National Movement (UNM) Nika Melia and the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party members Beka Davituliani and Giorgi Amilakhvari have clashed at the polling station in Vazisubani district in Tbilisi earlier today due to a power outage at the spot.
An investigation is underway into the case of a physical assault of Nika Melia, Tbilisi mayor candidate from the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, to find out the attacker.