On October 3, by-elections to the Sakrebulo (municipal representative councils) will be held in the Georgian municipalities of Vani, Tsalka, Dmanisi, and Akhmeta.
In connection with this, Central Election Commission (CEC) spokesperson Natia Ioseliani held a briefing, noting that the by-elections will be conducted under a majoritarian system.
“Voters will elect four members of the Sakrebulo in the specified municipalities under a majoritarian system. A total of seven polling stations have been opened across all four electoral districts to hold the by-elections, four of which are in Tsalka. Polling stations are open in Akhmeta—in the village of Kasristskali; in Dmanisi—between the villages of Velispiri and Ganakhleba; in Tsalka—in the villages of Imera, Bareti, Sabechisi, and Livadi; and in Vani—in the village of Fereta. Both electronic and traditional voting models will be used.
Electronic voter verification and vote-counting machines will be used at three polling stations in Tsalka and one in Vani,” stated the CEC spokesperson.
The total number of registered voters stands at 2,225. Fifty voters have submitted applications to the election administration requesting a mobile ballot box.
Seven majoritarian candidates nominated by two political parties have been registered for the elections. In Dmanisi, Tsalka, and Vani, candidates from the electoral subjects “Georgian Dream” and “Strong Georgia — Lelo” have been registered, whereas in Akhmeta, only a candidate from “Georgian Dream” is running.
The Central Election Commission also stated that 56 observers from 7 local organizations will monitor the voting process, while 187 representatives from 8 media outlets will cover it.