UPDATED: Polls for parliamentary by-elections in two districts of Georgia closed
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Polls for parliamentary by-elections were closed at 8 pm in the districts of Vani and Khoni of Imereti region. After closing the polling stations the vote counting procedures will start in the election precincts.
By closing time 57.9 percent of voters or 27,846 people have voted for their candidate in Vani and Khoni election districts where the total number of registered voters is 48,123.
The by-elections in Vani and Khoni are being held because the former majoritarian representative Grigol Liluashvili was appointed as the Deputy Head of State Security Service.
Six candidates were participating in the parliamentary by-elections. Five candidates are nominated by political unions and one by an initiative group. Former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava is a candidate from the European Georgia party. His rival from the ruling Georgian Dream part is Givi Chichinadze. The other candidates are Giorgi Liluashvili from "Sakartvelo” Party, Zurab Kartvelishvili from the Traditionalists, Mamuka Tuskadze from the New Christian-Democrats, and Vasil Kopaliani from an initiative group.
Only one ballot paper was delivered to voters to elect a parliamentary member.
The polls opened at 8 am today in Vani and Khoni districts and as Ana Mikeladze, Spokeswoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia announced at a news briefing, the polling process was conducted in a peaceful and accessible election environment.
According to the CEC spokeswoman, 721 observers of 26 local observer organizations and 14 observers of 3 international observer organizations are monitoring the by-elections. 504 journalists of 19 media outlets are covering the elections.
The Council of Europe (CoE) Congress of Local and Regional Authorities was overall satisfied with the calm, uneventful and well-administered Election Day in most of the polling stations visited by the delegation, following a competitive campaign where democratic values were respected by and large.
Voting for the second round of municipal elections has finished in six municipalities of Georgia. The process of counting votes and compiling results is now underway. All the 317 polling stations closed at exactly 8pm this evening in those six districts where no candidate cleared the 50 percent threshold during the first vote on October 21.
Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has released final preliminary turnout by 8pm and stated it reached 45.64 percent.
The Georgian Dream ruling party has won five election districts out of six in the municipal election run-off yesterday, Georgia’s Central Election Commission has announced its preliminary figures.
Voter participation at the polling stations in Vani and Khoni reached 57.9 percent or 27,846 people while the total number of registered voters in these election districts is 48,123.
39 million GEL ($16 million) has been allocated from the state budget for the upcoming presidential elections in Georgia which will be held in autumn.
Polls for parliamentary by-elections will open in the district of Mtatsminda, in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi on May 19, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced today. Voting will be held at 31 polling stations, where a total of 43,868 voters are registered.