CEC: Pro-Governmental MP Candidates Lead By-Elections

According to the preliminary results of the Central Election Commission (CEC) the MP candidates supported by the ruling National Movement-Democrats party won the by-elections, held in Georgia’s four single-mandate constituencies on October 24.
 
Olympic Champion Giorgi Asanidze from the ruling National Movement party leads the polls in Tbilisi’s Krtsanisi single-mandate constituency with 3,608 votes, followed by Ioseb Shatberashvili of the opposition Labor Party with 1,272 votes. Nodar Natadze from the People’s Front received 691 votes, according to the electoral commission. The Labor Party has already accused the authorities of ballot fraud during the polls.
 
Pro-governmental candidate Teimuraz Cheishvili leads the polls in the Didube single-mandate constituency with 5,166 votes.
 
Jumber Patiashvili, leader of the Unity party, who was recently supported by President Saakashvili, leads the polls in the Gori provincial constituency with 30,416 votes; in the Zestaponi constituency Teimuraz Tsertsvadze from the ruling party, who was the only candidate running in Zestaponi, has won the elections, according to the preliminary results.
 
According to the election code, the final results of the by-elections should be announced by October 27.