Vote Counting Underway

Election administrations began counting ballots cast in the October 5 local self-governance elections after polling stations were closed at 8 pm.

The Central Election Commission is expected to announce early election results for Tbilisi by midnight, while results outside Tbilisi will be published on October 6. Officials say that over 30% of voters cast their ballots throughout Georgia, but no exact final data about voter turnout is yet available.
 
?I can say that voter turnout is quite high, and with the polling stations? closure an hour away I can announce that the elections in Georgia were held to high standards,? Chalagashvili said at a news conference before the polling stations were closed.

Some opposition parties, however, have already voiced concern that the election process was marred with ?serious irregularities,? mainly related to voter lists.

According to the CEC, the margin of error in the voter list was ?maximum? 4,5%.

?We should wait for election results; we should wait for the conclusions by the observers? I do not think it is right to make comments on each and every groundless accusation,? Giorgi Arveladze, chief of the Georgian President?s Administration, said in a response to the allegations.

?There have been irregularities and violations but I do not think that the scale of these violations will influence the final results of the polls,? Koki Ionatamishvili of the election observer watchdog group New Generation-New Initiative (nGnI) said. 

Local municipal elections in Georgia were held through a mixed majoritarian-proportional elections.
 
Six political groups – five in the opposition and the ruling party ? are competing for a total of 1 736 seats in 69 local municipal councils.

But 282 of 1,025 majoritarian contests and 6 out of 69 proportional races were non-competitive, with only one candidate or party list ? in most of cases the ruling party – on a ballot.

The capital city Tbilisi, with one-third of the country?s voters, was the focus of pre-election campaigning, which was relatively moderate and calm.

After the 37-member Sakrebulo in Tbilisi is composed, it will then elect the capital city’s Mayor from among its members.

There are five candidates competing for the position: incumbent Mayor Gigi Ugulava of the ruling party; ex-Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili of the Georgia?s Way; Shalva Natelashvili of the Labor Party; Gogi Topadze of the Industrialists Party; and Koba Davitashvili of the election bloc ?Davitashvili, Khidasheli, Berdzenishvili,? formed by the Republicans and Conservatives.

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