40% of the ballots in Tbilisi were falsified, which led to the ruling party's dominance in the Tbilisi city assembly, Droa party leader Elene Khoshtaria said on October 6. On a national scale, a recount of votes due to violations is required at 478 polling stations, said opposition MP Tamar Kordzaia.
On October 2, voting took place in Georgia for the elections of mayors and deputies of local assemblies. The mayoral candidates did not receive the required number of votes in Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi, Poti, Batumi and 15 other cities of Georgia. These results mean that a second round of elections will be held in those cities. In Tbilisi, incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze and candidate from the United National Movement Nika Melia passed to the second round, the third place was taken by former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia. During the municipal elections in Georgia, observers called such violations as abuse of administrative resources and pressure on observers as the most typical.
Following the municipal elections in Tbilisi on October 2, Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Droa political movement, asked for a recount at 200 polling locations. "We submitted complaints regarding the recount of 200 polling sites because we discovered major procedural violations. Following a recount, it has been determined that the opposition controls the Tbilisi City Hall,” Khoshtaria declared.
In proportional elections in Tbilisi, 40 percent of ballots are unbalanced, according to Khoshtaria. According to her, votes were tossed at 26 polling sites due to an overabundance of ballots. According to the lawmaker, these sites should be removed. According to her, Tbilisi's "Georgian Dream" has a two-vote advantage over the other candidates in the sakrebulo (city council) elections. "Tbilisi's sakrebulo actually belongs to the opposition. The society of Tbilisi has selected the opposition” the Droa party's leader concluded.
If necessary, a recount of votes will be made, said Mikheil Sardzhveladze, MP from the Georgian Dream, on October 5. “The elections went well, everyone had the opportunity to make a fair choice, this is reflected in the election administration.”
