Voting closes in run-off elections in Georgia to fill fifty parliamentary seats (Updated)

Updated at 16.30 GMT/ 20.30 Tbilisi time

Elections were held in Georgia, Sunday (30 October), to fill fifty parliamentary seats. The elections were held in those constituencies where no candidate gained more than fifty percent of the votes in the polls held on 8 October.

The number of voters that had cast their vote by 15.00 local time was 25.3%, accordng to the Central Elections Commission. Polling stations opened on time according to the same source. Local election monitoring organisations report that voting has been taking place largely calmly, with isolated incidents of arguments between party supporters in Gori and Marneuli.

Among those voting this morning was the Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II. President Giorgi Marghvelashvili urged all voters to participate in the elections after casting his vote. 

Under Georgia's constitution Parliament is elected by a mixed system with 77 MPs chosen through a national party list, and 73 MPs elected in  single seat constituencies.

On 8 October candidates of the Georgian Dream party won outright in 23 seats, and were leading in most of the other fifty, with UNM candidates being runner up in most constituencies. Georgian Dream also won the elections for MPs under the national party list system with a wide margin and is expected to form the next government

surce:commonspace.eu

photo: A polling station in Georgia (archive picture).

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