Municipal elections underway in Georgia

Georgians began voting in local polls on Saturday. Today, citizens of the republic will elect over 2,000 members to 64 municipal assemblies (sakrebulos) and 64 city mayors.

The polls opened at 08:00 local time (07:00 Moscow time). A total of 3,061 polling stations are operating across Georgia.

Voting will continue until 20:00 local time (19:00 Moscow time), after which the vote count will begin. The first results are expected 2-3 hours after the polls close, and the Central Election Commission (CEC) will hold a final briefing at 22:00 local time (21:00 Moscow time).

All 3,513,818 Georgian citizens aged 18 and over who reside in the country are eligible to vote. The elections are being observed by representatives from 28 international and 27 local organizations, and covered by more than 73 media outlets.

Nine candidates are vying for the position of Tbilisi Mayor, including the incumbent, Kakha Kaladze. The role is also contested by Irakli Kupradze, the candidate from the opposition parties "Lelo - Strong Georgia" and "Gakharia for Georgia."

The CEC reported that voter turnout had reached 7.85% by 10:00 local time (09:00 Moscow time), with 275,948 people having cast their ballots by that time.

A total of 12 parties are participating in the municipal elections, though a segment of the opposition has announced a boycott.