Georgian Parliament Speaker casts vote, says “today is choice between evil and good”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, who has cast his ballot in today’s parliamentary elections, highlighted the importance of the vote and framed the process as a “choice between evil and good”. 

Papuashvili called on everyone to head to the polling stations and support the Georgian Dream party, saying “today is a choice that is rarely presented to our people”.

“[GD] is a guarantee of 12 years of peace in this country, guarantee for a dignified movement towards Europe and [...] for prosperity and progress in this country”, he added.

The elections mark the country's first fully-proportional vote since it regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and the first vote where approximately 90 percent of ballots will be cast electronically.

The Georgian Central Election Commission has registered 3,508,294 eligible voters with a total of 3,111 polling stations serving voters, including 3,044 within Georgia.

For the first time, all 150 seats in Georgia’s unicameral Parliament will be filled under a fully proportional system, with seats awarded based on each party's share of the national vote. Parties must secure at least five percent of the total vote to gain representation.