Georgian top officials cast vote in parliamentary elections

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has cast her vote in the parliamentary elections in Tbilisi.

“I voted for a new Georgia, for the kind of Georgia I envisioned when I arrived here 22 years ago, and for the Georgia my ancestors prayed for,” Zourabichvili told reporters, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

She voted at a polling station on Kote Apkhazi Street in central Tbilisi, becoming the first Georgian leader to participate in this election.

Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia, has also cast his vote in the parliamentary elections in Tbilisi, the press service of the Georgian government said.

Kobakhidze voted at a polling station in the Bagebi district, Tbilisi.

Polling stations have opened across Georgia for the parliamentary elections.

Voting will take place from 08:00 to 20:00 local time (coinciding with Baku time).

Citizens can cast their votes at 3,111 polling stations, with 67 stations set up abroad. Approximately 3.5 million voters are registered, including a record number of over 95,000 citizens living outside Georgia who will participate in the elections.

This election marks a significant milestone, as it will be the first to utilize electronic ballot boxes at 74 per cent of polling stations, covering nearly 90 per cent of voters. In addition to the electronic voting devices, voter verification technology will also be implemented.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) is expected to begin publishing initial results within two hours after the polls close. Local TV channels plan to report exit poll results immediately following the conclusion of voting.

By Vafa Guliyeva