Opposition Parties Can Create Fraction in Samtredia City Council

The municipal elections in Samtredia started with the protest of the single mandate candidate of the Alliance for Georgia Imeda Gogava. Several hours after the polling stations were opened, Gogava stated that the apparatus to check the marked people went wrong at the PS # 49; the PS # 27 was opened one and half hour later; in the PS # 47 the portable ballot box for 128 ballot papers left the polling station without seal and signatures of the commission members.

Member of the Republic Party Imeda Gogava demanded to annul the results of the portable ballot box and the district election commission (DEC) satisfied his request. The DEC chairman Avto Lomaia said that polling stations did not face any problems because of spoilt marking apparatus; the new apparatus were supplied to each polling station soon. As for late opening of the PS # 27, Lomaia said that it was prevocational statement.

The Samtredia DEC did not receive any complaints though about 10 complaints were written in polling stations.

48 541 voters were registered in Samtredia election district. Only 22 855 took part in the elections. According to the preliminary results, the National Movement gained 62, 39 % of votes; Christian-Democrat Movement gained 14, 42 %; National Council received 9, 13 %; the rest parties gained 14 % all together.

As a result of the municipal elections, the opposition parties will also have their representatives in the Samtredia city council together with the ruling party. The exact number of the representatives in the council will be known in several days. According to the preliminary information, the votes gained by the opposition parties are enough to create opposition fraction in the council.

Marika Vacharadze, Samtredia