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Georgian Opposition Leader Refuses to Vote

© RIA Novosti . Alexandr Imedashvili / Go to the mediabankBidzina Ivanishvili
Bidzina Ivanishvili - Sputnik International
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Georgia's billionaire opposition coalition leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has refused to vote in the country's parliamentary elections, local media report.

Georgia's billionaire opposition coalition leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has refused to vote in the country's parliamentary elections, local media report.

“Our authorities have changed Georgia's constitution a thousand times, tailoring it to their needs," Ivanishvili explained. "You remember how they have crippled it. I did not use the given opportunity. I came to politics not for unfairness but to restore justice.”

Ivanishvili’s wife, Yekaterina Khvedelidze, cast her vote, but gave no comments to the media on her husband’s actions.

Ivanishvili currently holds French citizenship. The Georgian authorities refused to restore his Georgian citizenship, but in May 2012 the country’s parliament adopted a constitutional amendment allowing EU citizens who were born in Georgia, and who have lived there for the last five years, to vote and stand in parliamentary and presidential elections. Arguing that these amendments were made specifically for him, Ivanishvili criticized the changes and said he was refusing to vote.

Commenting on the October 1 parliamentary election, Ivanishvili said “The Georgian people, for the first time, have the opportunity to make a choice which is close to truly democratic.”

However, a Georgian NGO initiative reports 71 violations have taken place since the polls opened, according to a statement posted on Multi-NGO Elections Portal's website.

Multi-NGO Elections Portal is a joint initiative run by the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and Transparency International – Georgia (TI-Georgia) to monitor the elections across the country.

Over 45 percent of Georgia's eligible voters had gone to the polls by 3 p.m. in the parliamentary elections, Central Election Commission speaker Eka Azarishvili said on Monday.

The polls opened at 8 a.m. in 3,700 stations in Georgia's 73 electoral districts.

"According to Election Commission data, by 3 p.m., 45 percent of those eligible had voted," Azarishvili said.

The election does not need a minimum turnout and will be declared valid however many vote, she said earlier. There are 3,613,851 registered voters.

Of the 150 deputies in parliament, 77 will be elected on a proportional system and 73 in first-past-the-post races.

Independent opinion polls indicate a decisive win for one of the two main parties is likely.

A total of 2,805 candidates, from 14 political parties and two blocs, are competing for 150 seats in parliament. Political parties and blocs need at least 5 percent of the vote to enter parliament.

The ruling United National Movement (UNM) party led by President Mikheil Saakashvili faces its most serious challenge yet in the Georgian Dream coalition, funded and led by Ivanishvili.

 

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