CEC Describes Election Process as ‘Normal’

Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Gia Kavtaradze said at a news briefing on October 1 that the MP by-elections are being held in “a normal atmosphere without any procedural violations.” 

MP by-elections are being held to fill five majoritarian (single-mandate) seats in the Parliament. Polls are being held in the Adjarian towns of Kobuleti, Batumi and Shuakhevi; the western Georgian town of Tkibuli and Tbilisi’s Isani district.

The CEC Chairman said, that polling stations were opened exactly at 8 am local time in all five single-mandate constituencies except one polling station in Tbilisi’s Isani district. “We are now clarifying the reasons for this delay, however currently this polling station is opened and the election procedure is underway.”

He said that the highest voter turnout was reported in the Tkibuli and Kobuleti single-mandate constituencies.

Last year’s amendments to the Election Code dropped the provision requiring at least 1/3 voter turnout to make the MP by-elections valid. As a result, a candidate with 1/3 of total votes cast during the polls will be the winner despite the voter turnout.

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