TBILISI, Nov 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – After 99.77 percent of the total ballots were counted, the ruling Georgian Dream party won 48.16 percent of votes, while major opposition coalition of United National Movement and the Strength is in Unity, received 27.12 percent, data from the Central Election Commission (CEC) indicated.
Seven other parties, including European Georgia and Alliance of Patriots got over one percent of votes respectively, which is the threshold required for a party to win seats in parliament.
As for the elections in the 30 majoritarian constituencies, CEC has not provided completed data, only indicating some of them will go into the second round.
Meanwhile, leaders of major opposition parties, including United National Movement and European Georgia, announced that they will not recognise the election results, and organised large rallies in central Tbilisi to protest.
However, after the voting process ended, Bidzina Ivanishvili, chairman of the Georgian Dream party declared that, the party has won the elections for the third time.
Georgia kicked off the parliamentary elections on Saturday, to elect the country’s 150-member top legislative body for the next four years.
A total of 48 political parties and two party blocs registered to run for elections. Any party which garners more than one percent of the ballots will be allocated seats in proportion to their shares of votes.
According to Georgia’s constitutional amendments, passed in June, the parliamentary poll in 2020 will be held under a mixed electoral system, with 120 members of parliament to be elected via party lists and the remaining 30 running in single-member majoritarian districts.
An election bloc or party which receives less than 40.54 percent of votes in the proportional elections will not be able to form a government.
The ruling Georgian Dream party previously won the parliamentary poll in 2012 and 2016, after defeating the United National Movement in the elections.– NNN-AGENCIES
