"I would like to address the Minister of Internal Affairs, whom, unfortunately, I am unable to reach. My administration is unable to contact his deputy, and the official government line is not operational either. I want to urge the police to respond more swiftly and efficiently, as we cannot allow this kind of tension in our election precincts," stated the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabishvili. Today, reports surfaced of numerous instances of pressure on journalists and observers in or near election precincts, with police largely failing to respond.
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"Sometimes media equipment is destroyed, and sometimes there is direct violence. Groups gather with the sole purpose of creating tension and confrontation, which is very unfortunate, as this reflects the face and reputation of our country. This is a sign of weakness. No one should be intimidated by it," the President expressed gratitude to media representatives for their "extraordinary courage and efficiency."
Salome Zourabichvili also addressed voters, urging them to maintain the high turnout through the afternoon.
"I want to appeal to all our citizens and emphasize the importance of today’s elections. Voter participation is very high, which is a very good sign. We expect this to continue into the afternoon, with even greater participation. There is also remarkable turnout abroad, despite challenging and difficult conditions. We are deeply grateful to our compatriots for their dedication," the President said.
As per information from the Central Election Commission of Georgia, as of 15:00, voter turnout in the parliamentary elections stood at 41.62%, with 1 454 837 voters attending polling stations. For comparison, turnout by 15:00 in previous parliamentary elections was 36.45% in 2020, 34.79% in 2016, and 44.99% in 2012.
