Opposition leaders, Tbilisi Mayoral hopeful Nika Melia of United National Movement, Elene Khoshtaria of Droa and Mamuka Khazaradze of Lelo – deputy mayoral hopefuls – as well as ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia of For Georgia cast their ballots in hotly-contested second rounds of the 2021 local polls.
Below are remarks delivered by the opposition leaders outside the polling stations:
Nika Melia: “I voted for the very important plans of the coalition [opposition] government. I voted for none of the children from Tbilisi to be starving in schools and free meals to be provided in schools. I voted for all retirees in Tbilisi to have a GEL 100 (USD 32) pension supplement. I voted for the best student from Tbilisi to be funded by Tbilisi City Hall [to study] in the world’s top universities… There is indeed a scent of victory in the air.”
Elene Khoshtaria: “Today’s Elections are very important. [These are] elections that can radically turn the situation around… not for casting anyone out, but instead for the common good of national consensus, reconciliation, unity, justice, human dignity, and peaceful coexistence of different people. This is the most important, and the answer to and the guarantor of all of this is the diverse coalition we have offered to the public.”
Mamuka Khazaradze: “Today I voted for coalition governance, I voted for change in this country, I voted switching to European-style governance and very rapid reforms in Tbilisi and across the country.”
Giorgi Gakharia: “When we, Georgian citizens, are deprived of our choice, when two parties maintain that one of them is worse than the other, and overall force us to make a choice between two bad options, I of course choose to vote for Georgia. [This] means that when we are forced to choose one from two bad options… of course I will not vote for either.”
Follow our Election Live Blog for more updates on the October 30 municipal elections.
Also read:
- Georgian Leaders Vote in Runoffs
- CEC: Voter Turnout 17.18% at 12:00
- Polls Open in Georgia’s Second Round of Municipal Elections
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