Central Election Commission: recount of ballots did not affect results of election run-offs
A total of 1,024,406 out of 2,088,722 voters participated in Georgia’s local municipal election run-offs, which amounted to 49.9% of eligible voters. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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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.
The CEC reported yesterday that detailed results of the recount will be published today.
Today, at 17:00 recounts of ballot papers will be launched at tabulation centers. #CEC Chairperson addressed DECs with an important initiative/recommendation to reveal and recount results of 7-7 polling stations instead of mandatory 5 polling stations.
— CEC of Georgia (@cecgovge) November 1, 2021
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The ballot recounting process was conducted in a transparent manner, which could be monitored by all authorised persons - both the media and observer organisations and representatives of election subjects,” spokeswoman of the CEC, Natia Ioseliani, stated.
The CEC has addressed the district election commissions with a new recommendation to recount the ballots in polling stations where the vote-counting process was not recorded on camera.
A total of 292 polling stations in Georgia were not provided with a camera, from which the district election commission will randomly select several for the recounting process.
Vote recount became a successful experience in election process of #CEC. It contributed to the increased transparency of this process and significantly raised the trust. We issued recommendation for the DECs to recount ballots at specific PECs.
— CEC of Georgia (@cecgovge) November 1, 2021
➡️https://t.co/yzENQ8vUtv pic.twitter.com/tAtcowRqLB
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party MP Mamuka Mdinaradze has claimed that a large number of votes ‘were stolen’ from the ruling party's mayoral candidate for Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, and added to his opponent, the United National Movement candidate Nika Melia, in the Mtatsminda election district.
A stack of 10 ballot papers was stolen and added to Melia’s side,” Mdinaradze said.
Overall, the votes of 812 of 3,664 district election commissions were recounted after the October 2 municipal elections; more than 66% of the results remained the same.
Based on the final results of the local self-government election run-offs held on October 30, the opposition has won the majority in seven out of 64 municipalities – Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki, while the ruling party has won the proportional part of the race with 47% on October 2.
The ruling party mayoral candidates have won in all self-governing cities and municipalities except for Tsalenjikha, where the UNM party candidate, Giorgi Kharchilava, won with 51.11% over the GD’s Goga Gulordava.
A total of 1,024,406 out of 2,088,722 voters participated in Georgia’s local municipal election run-offs, which amounted to 49.9% of eligible voters.
City assemblies elected in the October 2021 municipal elections are holding their first sessions across the country today.
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.
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 ballots of 194 polling stations in mayoral elections have been recounted, of which the results of 172 constituencies remains unchanged, while the results of 27 out of 33 polling stations in the majoritarian part have also remained the same, the Central Election Commission (CEC) head Giorgi Kalandarishvili reports.
The British Embassy in Georgia has assessed the Georgian municipal elections run-offs as ‘well administered’, but pointed out issues of ‘negative rhetoric’ and ‘pressure on voters.’ The embassy agrees with the OSCE/ODIHR evaluation that the run-offs were competitive, but undermined by ‘deepening polarization.’
The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) will recount the votes of 140 district election commissions, in line with recent legal changes which oblige the CEC to recount a certain number of votes to verify their validity.
The opposition has won the majority in city assemblies in seven out of 64 municipalities – Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki. GD head Irakli Kobakhidze stated that ‘the majority will be formed on the basis of negotiations with the members of the city councils,’ in municipalities where GD lost the majority, noting that ‘work on the issue has already started successfully.’
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.