Presidential Runoff: Key Dates and Procedures

On November 28, Georgian citizens will head to polls to elect their fifth president for a six-year term, replacing incumbent President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who has been in office since October, 2013.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) published the schedule of electoral activities on November 14, after approving the final vote tally of the first round. Below are the key election dates and procedures set out by the CEC for the runoff.

November 14 – The election date was officially set;

November 23 – Deadline for parties to appoint, change or withdraw Precinct Election Commission members;

November 23 – Deadline for local and international observer organizations and media outlets to apply to CEC to register additional representatives;

November 23 – CEC releases final data on total number of voters in Georgia, as well as its breakdown by districts;

November 26 – Runoff held for Georgian troops stationed in Afghanistan;

November 28 – Election Day. Polling stations open at 8 am and close at 8 pm (stations outside the country will run until midnight). The voting process is immediately followed by vote tabulation;

December 18 – Deadline for CEC to summarize final vote tally of the elections.

The first round of presidential election was held on October 28. No candidate garnered more than 50% of votes. The two top contenders – Salome Zurabishvili and Grigol Vashadze – finished with 38.64% and 37.74%, respectively.

There is no specific threshold for the candidates in the second round; the one with more votes will become Georgia’s next President. If both receive equal number of votes, the frontrunner of the first round will be elected President of Georgia.

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