CEC: Voter Turnout in Municipal Vote 33.46% at 17:00

1,175,817 citizens, 33.46% of the total number of voters, had cast their ballots in the municipal elections by 17:00, three hours before the polls close, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC). The vote is proceeding with scant credible observation, and the boycott of part of the mainstream opposition.

The highest voter turnout was again recorded in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region, where 52.23% of the electorate had already voted by 17:00. The lowest voter turnout was again registered in Tbilisi – 26.25%.

“The election process is generally proceeding in a calm environment and in compliance with procedures,” CEC spokesperson Natia Ioseliani said at a briefing before announcing the updated turnout. “However, as expected, despite the absence of significant violations, certain interested parties are making speculative assessments or statements related to traces of marker ink on the back side of ballot papers.”

The leakage of marker ink on the reverse side of ballot papers was a major concern for voter secrecy during the 2024 parliamentary elections. Ioseliani said that such leakage, if it occurs, does not constitute a breach of voting secrecy, as “it is impossible to identify the will of the voter.”

Calling the claims “politically motivated speculation,” the CEC spokesperson said that procedural changes introduced ahead of the election – particularly a rule requiring a special cover over the slot where ballots are inserted into the electronic device – were designed to better protect the secrecy of voters’ choices.

3,513,818 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the elections today at 3,061 polling stations, including 2,284 with electronic voting. CEC expects to offer preliminary results based on electronic precincts in 1-2 hours after the polls close at 8 pm. The final results are expected later, after all ballots have been counted by hand.

In the 2021 local polls, which carried an added meaning of a “referendum” on snap elections, the 17:00 nationwide turnout rate stood at 41.35%, while the final turnout amounted to 51.92%. In the 2017 local elections, the 17:00 nationwide voter turnout rate stood at 36.71%, while the final turnout amounted to 45.65%

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, the 17:00 nationwide voter turnout rate came in at 50.6%.

The local elections take place across Georgia amid a partial opposition boycott, scant credible observation, continued repression by Georgian Dream authorities, jailings of protesters and opposition members, and a crackdown on independent media and watchdogs. The vote comes approximately a year after the disputed parliamentary elections, and just 10 months into the non-stop protests that erupted in response to Georgian Dream’s announcement to halt EU integration. A parallel mass rally has been scheduled at 4 pm at the parliament in Tbilisi with the stated aim of “peacefully overthrowing” the Georgian Dream government.

Follow our live blog for election-day updates.

For more context, read our backgrounders:

• Backgrounder: Georgia’s October 4 Half-Elections
• Georgia Anticipates October 4 Rally Amid Rising Tensions, Discontent
• Who Will (Not) Observe October 4 Local Elections
• Repression in Numbers

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