MINSK, October 4. /TASS/. Belarusian observers from the Central Election Commission of Belarus have noted a calm atmosphere at the ongoing municipal elections in Georgia.
According to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, CEC Secretary Yelena Baldovskaya and CEC member Ekaterina Fedosenko are monitoring the voting.
"Yelena Baldovskaya noted the calm atmosphere at polling stations and the well-prepared commission members, who provide comprehensive information on the voting procedure and equipment operation. She also reported that voters positively evaluate the use of new technologies during voting," according to a post on the Telegram channel.
The CEC noted that ballot scanners are being used at polling stations and that automatic vote counting is underway. Local government elections are taking place in Georgia on Saturday.
Georgia is electing electing mayors of five self-governing cities - Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Rustavi, and Poti - and 59 municipalities, as well as members of 64 city councils. Twelve parties have registered with the Central Election Commission, with nine candidates vying for the Tbilisi mayoral post. The ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party has nominated incumbent Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze for a third term. The largest opposition parties running in the elections, Strong Georgia - Lelo and Gakharia for Georgia, have nominated a single mayoral candidate, former parliament member Irakly Kupradze.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (7:00 a.m. Moscow time, GMT +3) across the country and will close at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. Moscow time, GMT +3). A total of 3,061 polling stations are open to more than 3.5 million voters. More than 90% of polling stations are equipped with electronic ballot boxes.