TBILISI, October 2. /TASS/. Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party is winning Saturday’s municipal election, according to exit polls.
If exit poll results are confirmed, it would be Georgian Dream’s eighth successful nationwide elections since the party rose to power in 2012.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili claimed victory while the elections were still in process.
"According to the information that we have, our party and candidates are winning in all municipalities, with confidence and by a wide margin. However, we need everyone to cast their ballot to seal this victory," he said.
Exit polls differ
Results of exit polls, conducted by various Georgian broadcasters, give a similar list of frontrunners, but their estimated results vary.
According to an exit poll by the Imedi TV channel, the ruling party gets over 47.6% of the vote. This means that in line with the April 19 deal with the opposition, signed with mediation of European Council President Charles Michel, Georgian Dream will not have to declare an early parliamentary election in the spring of 2022. The United National Movement (UNM) party, founded by former president Mikhail Saakashvili, is the runner-up, getting 27.1% of the vote. ‘For Georgia,’ the party of former prime minister Georgy Gakharia, comes third with 6.8% of the vote.
At the same time, the Formula TV channel, which carried out its own exit poll, predicts the following result: 46% for the Georgian Dream, 33% - for UNM and 6% - ‘For Georgia.’
In turn, the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel projects Georgian Dream to get 38.6%, UNM - 33% and Georgian Dream - 7.6%.
Elections in Tbilisi - runoff possible
According to an exit poll by Imedi, incumbent Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze leads the elections in the Georgian capital with 51.3% of the vote, followed by UNM candidate Nika Melia with 34.6%.
However, the two other TV channels that conducted their own exit polls expect a runoff, saying that none of the candidates gathered more than 50% of the vote. Mtavari Arkhi says Melia got 40.8%, while Kaladze has 40.2%. Formula projects Kaladze to get 43%, while Melia receives 39%.
Situation largely calm
The electoral process in Georgia was monitored by 88 local and 52 international organizations.
Throughout the day, the situation at polling stations was largely calm, with sporadic minor incidents and technical violations reported. A brawl took place in the village of Kiziladzhlo in southern Georgia’s Marneuli Municipality. Later in the day, a member of Georgia’s Labor Party was stabbed with a knife near a polling station in the same municipality. He was hospitalized.
Two criminal and 30 administrative cases opened
Georgian police have launched a criminal case into suspected obstructing of the media's work in the city of Zugdidi, Georgian Interior Ministry spokesperson Ketevan Kovziashvili said. Another criminal case was launched into the events in Kiziladzhlo.
Overall, more than 30 administrative violations were reported all over the country, she added.
Saakashvili’s arrival
The municipal elections took a new twist when former President Mikhail Saakashvili returned to the country despite being wanted on criminal charges. He was arrested on the day of his arrival and taken to the Rustavi jail, a few dozens of kilometers from Tbilisi.
"I ask you all very much to come to the polls tomorrow so that not a single vote is lost, and after that we will all stand together to defend the results of the referendum," Saakashvili said in a letter published by Georgia’s opposition Mtavari Arkhi TV. The ex-president added that his freedom and the freedom of Georgia depend on the activism of people in the coming days. "Please, do not falter and have faith until the end that our victory is in our hands," Saakashvili wrote.
According to a TASS correspondent, the situation in Tbilisi remained calm after the news of Saakashvili’s arrest was made public. The work of public transport and city services was not interrupted and no mass gatherings took place.
CEC to publish results by midnight
Georgia has about 3.5 million registered voters. Over 3,700 polling stations opened across the country on the election day. Georgians elected deputies of city and regional legislatures, as well as mayors of 64 municipalities, including the capital Tbilisi. City and district legislative assemblies in Georgia are elected through a mixed system, combining proportional representation and 'winner-take-all' districts. The threshold for the city council of Tbilisi is 2.5%, while for other municipalities it stands at 3%. A total of 43 parties participated in the elections.
The turnout stood at 51.92% when polling stations closed at 20:00 local time (19:00 Moscow time).
The Central Election Commission is expected to publish first results by midnight on Saturday.