Georgians head to polls in "historic" Parliamentary elections
Baku, October 26, AZERTAC
Georgian citizens domestically and abroad are voting today in "historic" parliamentary elections that mark the country's first fully proportional vote since it regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and the first vote where approximately 90 percent of ballots will be cast electronically, according to Agenda.ge.
Both the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition forces have termed the election as "decisive" or a "crucial referendum”, albeit for contrasting reasons.
For the first time, all 150 seats in Georgia’s unicameral Parliament will be filled under a fully proportional system, with seats awarded based on each party's share of the national vote. Parties must secure at least five percent of the total vote to gain representation.
Nearly 90 percent of voters will cast their ballots electronically, using a new verification system to confirm voter identities. Voters will complete paper ballots, which will be scanned by optical scanners to produce preliminary results. At the close of voting, poll workers will manually count all ballots, with only the results being reflected in the final summary document.
The election is being observed by more than 23,000 observers of 111 domestic and more than 1,700 observers of 76 international organisations, with more than 2,800 employees of 199 media outlets registered to cover the race. Eighteen political parties and alliances have presented their party lists for the election.
The Georgian Central Election Commission has registered 3,508,294 eligible voters, with 3,113,747 casting their ballots electronically. Among them, 135,922 first-time voters will participate, while 64,238 have requested transfer boxes to vote from their residences.
In total, 95,910 Georgian citizens have been registered with special lists for polling stations abroad.
A total of 3,111 polling stations will serve voters, including 3,044 within Georgia. Thirteen specialised stations have been established, with 12 in penitentiary institutions and one in a mental health facility. Overseas voting is set up across 67 stations in 53 cities within 42 countries.
Electronic voting technologies will be used in 2,263 polling stations across Georgia, while the remaining polling stations, including those abroad, will conduct voting in the traditional manner.
The elections will be managed by over 54,000 election administrators, with more than half appointed by authorised political parties and the remainder serving as independent, professional members. Each commission is composed of 17 members - eight non-partisan members and nine representing political parties. Among the party-appointed members, one represents the ruling party, while the other eight are appointed by various political parties.
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