Ruling party loses majority in 7 out of 64 Georgian municipalities

The United States Embassy to Georgia has stated that electoral reforms made by Georgian politicians earlier this year have increased the transparency of the voting process –  emphasising, however, that ‘widespread violations adversely affected the ability of citizens to vote freely’ in local self-government elections in Georgia.

The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has changed the date for a large rally in central Tbilisi this week to protest the results of the recent municipal elections.

The EU delegation to Georgia says that the October 30 municipal election run-offs in Georgia were generally well administered, the campaign was competitive, but that serious issues persist with an escalation of ‘negative rhetoric, persistent allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters and sharp imbalances in resources, which benefited the ruling party and tilted the playing field.’ 

Former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia, who now chairs the opposition For Georgia party, says the October 30 municipal run-offs were ‘neither free, nor fair’. Gakharia, who left the prime minister’s post and the ruling Georgian Dream party earlier this year run for Tbilisi mayor in municipal elections, but ended the race third. 

Georgian opposition leaders have gathered with their supporters in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi to protest the results of the October 30 run-off municipal elections. The opposition, claiming that the election results were fabricated, announced rallies in the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, and Zugdidi, in addition to the massive demonstration in Tbilisi scheduled for November 7.
 

OSCE/ODIHR and European Parliament (EP) observation missions have assessed Georgian municipal election run-offs held yesterday, stating that the race ‘was generally competitive and organized professionally’, but increasing polarization and negative rhetoric, as well as allegations of voter intimidation and the ‘continuing advantage of incumbency, demonstrated the need for further reforms. 

The official results of the Central Election Commission (CEC) for the 2021 municipal election run-offs in Georgia show that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party mayoral candidates have won in 19 municipalities, while the opposition United National Movement (UNM) contender has won in just one. Incumbent Tbilisi mayor and candidate Kakha Kaladze from the GD took 55.6% of the votes over the UNM’s Nika Melia, with 100% of the votes counted.
 

The largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party member Nona Mamulashvili has announced earlier today that she will leave the Georgian parliament amid the protests of the municipal election run-offs results and demand of its annulment by the opposition.  

Former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party member Korneli Salia has been elected the chairman of Tsalenjikha Municipal Assembly. By electing Salia, Tsalenjikha has become the only municipality in Georgia where both the mayor (UNM's Giorgi Kharchilava) and the head of assembly are from opposition.

Former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party member Shota Tsurtsumia has been elected the chairman of Chkhorotsku Municipal Assembly. In winning the spot, Tsurtsumia has become the first opposition member in the country to be elected an assembly head.

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party says that it has used the opportunity ‘ensured by the law and the state constitution’ to approve the 2022 budget in five municipalities, in some of which its party members will no longer control the local city assembly following the recent October municipal elections. 

The opposition European Georgia party has presented its vision of overcoming the current political crisis in the country, stating that the solution lies in the defeat of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party via snap elections.

The leader of the Lelo opposition party, Mamuka Khazaradze, has said that he will move to the western Georgian town of Tsalenjikha, and assist the newly appointed opposition mayor. Khazaradze announced his decision while delivering his speech at the opposition rally in the city of Zugdidi last evening.

City assemblies elected in the October 2021 municipal elections are holding their first sessions across the country today. 

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has met with the newly elected mayors from municipalities across Georgia and pledged the support of the central government in the undertaking of various projects. 

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia has concluded its recount of votes in 201 constituencies, as part of recent electoral reforms obliging the body to recount a certain number of votes for verification, and stated that it did not affect the preliminary results of the second round of municipal elections.

Parliamentary and city council by-elections will be held in the Georgian seaside town of Batumi and the south-eastern city of Rustavi in April, the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on Tuesday. 

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has named its majoritarian candidates for by-elections scheduled for April 2 in Georgian cities of Rustavi and Batumi earlier today. GD Head Irakli Kobakhidze introduced Irakli Shatakishvili and Ramaz Jincharadze as Rustavi and Batumi majoritarian candidates, respectively.

The Georgian interior ministry has launched an investigation after the car of the mayor of north-western Georgia’s Tsalenjikha municipality was found burning during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.