Speaker Kobakhidze: Presidential Runoff “is now clear”

Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has confirmed, based on preliminary precinct data, that the Presidential elections will now go into a runoff.

Speaking at a special press briefing, Speaker Kobakhidze said: “it’s clear that there will be a second round between Salome Zurabishvili and Grigol Vashadze.”

The Parliament Speaker said the GDDG-backed candidate was close to clearing the first round victory. “But we have been and are sure that we will win in the second round,” he added.

The announcement came few hours after the Georgian Dream-commissioned exit poll gave first round victory to Zurabishvili.

According to Georgia’e electoral code, the runoff has to be held two weeks after the CEC publishes the final vote tally of the first round,  that is no later than 20 days after the Election Day. This places the latest possible date of the runoff on December 1, 2018

Davit Bakradze of the European Georgia, who finished third, already threw his weight behind Vashadze.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)