Elections in Georgia: Unpredictability that leads to protests

On October 1 parliamentary elections took place in Georgia. According

to the Georgian Central Electoral Committee, by 5 p.m.  54% of the

population had voted.

The main political figures of Georgia voted in the first half of the

day. Georgian Patriarch Ilya II, answering a question from

journalists about his choice, said: "There are three sacred things:

God, one's Motherland and Man, who has a particular value. I voted for those

who will protect the freedom of  Georgia."

A VK journalist reports from Tbilisi that the unusually active

participation is a big surprise. There were queues at many voting

stations. For the first time the results could not be predicted.

The main rivals - President Saakashvili and billionaire Ivanishvili came

to their voting stations convinced of their victory.

Georgian NGOs report numerous incidents of violations. The most

common violations include lack of ballot papers and impeding the work of

observers and journalists. However, these violations are hardly likely to

influence the results of the elections.

It is important to note that 73 out of 150 deputies are elected in

majority-vote districts and 77 from party lists.

Both rival parties expect their supporters to go on the streets tonight to

support their parties.