Georgia: ruling party leads in regions but not in Tbilisi

Results of municipal elections in Georgia

According to preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission of Georgia on the morning of October 3, the ruling Georgian Dream party received 48.56% of the vote and is leading by a wide margin in the October 2 local elections.

This is the result of counting nearly 40% of the ballots.

The opposition referred to the October 2 vote as a referendum. The main intrigue of this election was whether the ruling team would get 43% of the vote. If it did not, then early parliamentary elections would have been held in accordance with the agreement signed by the authorities and the opposition in the spring of 2021 through the mediation of Charles Michel, President of the European Council.

The ruling party unilaterally withdrew from this agreement three months before the elections. But the opposition continued to call the elections a referendum.

The country’s leading opposition party, the United National Movement, obtained 32.32%.

In third place is the party of ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia For Georgia with 6.87% of the vote.

The votes were distributed among the rest of the parties as follows:

• “Girchi – more freedom, Zurab Japaridze” – 4.8%;
• Lelo – 2.6%;
• European Georgia – 1.82%;
• Alliance of Patriots of Georgia – 1.42%
• Third Force – 1.27%;
• Labor Party of Georgia – 1.25%;
• Girchi – 1.04%;
• Citizens – 0.61%;
• For the people – 0.6%

• Elections in Georgia, exit polls: ruling party in the lead
• Polling stations close in Georgia, Tbilisi mayoral race may continue in second round

The opposition has much more votes in Tbilisi than in the regions

In contrast to the regions, in the political center of the country – Tbilisi – Georgian Dream has much lower results.

According to preliminary data from the CEC, the ruling party in the elections in Tbilisi was unable to overcome the 43% threshold determined by the “Michel agreement”.

According to preliminary data, in the capital, the ruling party gained 41%, the opposition as a whole – about 59%.

Elections of mayors -there will be second rounds in Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi, Poti and Batumi

Mayoral Results – many cities are likely to have runoffs.

In all five cities – Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi, Poti and Batumi – the second rounds are likely to be held.

In three of them – in Rustavi, Kutaisi and Batumi – according to preliminary data, candidates from the opposition National Movement (the party of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili) are in the lead.

In Tbilisi, incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze received 45.5 % of the vote, while National Movement candidate Nika Melia received 34.13%.

In Zugdidi, in the Samegrelo region, the opposition candidate for mayor, Anzor Melia, is in the lead. He is almost 8% ahead of his rival government candidate Mamuka Tsotseria.