Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Georgians go to the polls to elect their MPs

byadmin
October 26, 2024

The people of Georgia began voting at 08:00 local time to determine the deputies who will represent them in the 150-seat parliament.

Georgia The people are going to the polls to elect the 11th parliament.
Voting in the election held with a proportional representation system started at 08:00 local time.
According to the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC), 3 million 508 thousand 294 registered voters in the country will be able to vote until 20:00 to elect 150 deputies.
According to the decision taken by the CEC on February 6, 2023, electronic voting will be held for the first time in Georgia.
A total of 3 million 113 thousand 747 voters will vote electronically.
Voters abroad will be able to vote at 67 locations in 53 cities in 47 countries, including Turkey.
A total of 18 parties, including 4 electoral blocs, will try to pass the 5 percent threshold to enter the parliament, which will be elected for the 11th time since Georgia gained its independence in 1991. According to the election results, the political party or electoral bloc that wins 76 seats in parliament will be able to form a single-party government.
The Georgian Dream Party, which has been in power since the 2012 elections, is trying to win its fourth consecutive election victory. The current ruling party, Georgian Dream, is in first place in the polls, while the Unity-National Movement Party of imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili is in second place.
While the integration process with NATO and the European Union continues to be a priority for Georgia, the recently strained relations between the Tbilisi administration and some Western countries are drawing attention.
Georgia’s EU accession process has been suspended due to the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law, which led to long-term demonstrations in April and May and was described by the opposition as a “Russian law”.
The EU has suspended €30 million in aid to the Georgian army planned for 2024, while the US has also announced some sanctions. The US also announced that it was suspending $95 million in aid to Georgia and a joint military exercise planned for this year, and that it was imposing visa bans on some Georgian officials.
The Georgian opposition describes the election as “a choice between Europe and Russia”, while the government describes it as “a matter of peace or war.” The “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law requires Georgian civil society and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their annual funding from abroad to register themselves as “foreign agents” in January of each year, and face fines if they do not.
byadmin
Published
Add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News

By pressing the Subscribe button, you confirm that you have read and are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Read more