TBILISI, October 3 – Georgia is set to hold nationwide local elections on October 4, with authorities pledging transparency, security, and swift results through the broadest use yet of electronic voting technology.
According to Central Election Commission (CEC) chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili, 3,061 polling stations will open across the country, including 2,284 equipped with electronic ballot systems and 777 using traditional paper voting. More than 3.5 million registered voters are eligible to cast ballots, including around 47,000 first-time young voters.
Georgians will elect 64 mayors and 2,058 city council members in the highly decentralized municipal system. In Tbilisi alone, nine mayoral candidates and 12 party lists are registered, while 112 mayoral hopefuls and more than 2,200 council candidates are competing nationwide. Parts of the opposition have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the vote by boycotting it. In one third of mayoral contests, voters will have only one candidate on the ballot: that of the ruling GD.
The vote will be watched closely at home and abroad. Twenty-eight international and 27 domestic organizations have accredited observers, and nearly 1,000 journalists from 73 media outlets will cover the process. Election monitors include delegations from 21 countries, ranging from EU member states to Turkey and Moldova.
To ease concerns about integrity, ballots in electronic precincts will be scanned and counted automatically, with preliminary results expected just one to two hours after polls close at 8 p.m. Hand counts will then verify the tallies. Authorities insist the electronic machines are not connected to the internet, ruling out hacking risks, and stress that ballot secrecy is fully preserved.
Security is also high on the agenda. Amid reports of possible provocations, the CEC has signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to coordinate efforts. Kalandarishvili said the aim was to prevent or swiftly neutralize any unlawful acts to ensure the vote takes place “in a peaceful and safe environment.”
Up to 34,000 election workers will administer the polls, with special precincts also set up inside prisons. Voters will be required to present valid national ID cards or passports.
CEC officials describe the local elections as among the most complex Georgia has ever run, but say preparations have been thorough. “The administration is fully ready,” Kalandarishvili declared, adding that international standards of professionalism and transparency would be upheld.
