Ruling party candidates leading in Georgia's by-elections

The ruling Georgian Dream party candidates are leading in the May 19 by-elections in the majority of election precincts, according to the Georgian Central Election Commission's website.

A second round of elections will take place only in the Mtatsminda district of Tbilisi, where none of the candidates managed to overcome the 50% threshold.

The ruling party candidate Lado Kakhadze (41%) will go into a runoff with the united oppositional candidate Shalva Shavgulidze (36.83%) competing for the parliamentary seat in the Mtatsminda district.

Polling stations closed at 8 p.m. at 410 polling stations in Georgia where voters cast ballots for a member of parliament, five mayors and members of eight city councils (Sakrebulo) across the country. 

The Central Election Commission (CEC) Spokesperson Ana Mikeladze said the by-elections were held in a "mainly calm environment" and voters had the opportunity to express their will "freely."