GUAM: Free and fair elections held in Georgia

Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 2 / Trend / The elections in Georgia were free and fair, a group of observers of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development - GUAM said following the parliamentary elections in the country. "The parliamentary elections in Georgia were organized and conducted in accordance with international commitments and standards for democratic elections, including the obligations and standards of the OSCE and the Council of Europe, and in accordance with national legislation, regulations and procedures established by the Georgian Central Election Commission," the statement said. GUAM Observation Mission has no significant comments. The elections were held in the spirit of competition. In general, they can be evaluated positively, observers of the organization said. The opposition coalition "Georgian Dream" is in the lead after counting almost 20 per cent of votes in the CEC. According to the CEC, at present, "Georgian Dream" got 53.3 per cent of votes. The ruling party "United National Movement with 41.5 per cent of votes ranks second. Regarding the election results by majority lists, the CEC said that the candidates from the ruling party are in the lead in 27 constituencies and 18 from the "Georgian Dream" of 73 single-member constituencies. The data of majority lists of other constituencies have not been counted yet. The parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 1. Around 14 parties and two political blocs participated in the elections. Parliament will receive more authority in 2013 after amendments to the Constitution take force resulting in the president's power being reduced. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az