GYLA: Voting Process Held Without Major Violations

Voting process in Georgia’s by-elections was held without major violations, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) reported in its preliminary assessments of 8pm.

GYLA, which had 50 observers at 22 polling stations across the country, said tense atmosphere in Zugdidi continued to prevail throughout the day, with several scuffles taking place between supporters of the opposition and the ruling party.

The watchdog added that against this backdrop, ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s appeal to his supporters to “be on the offensive” was alarming.

GYLA also noted that presence of party activists and supporters at polling stations was wide-spread across the country. The watchdog said this threatened expression of voters’ free will.

Polling stations closed at 8pm. Vote tabulation followed immediately.

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