Parliamentary polls in Georgia on October 1 were seen as a key test of competing visions of the country's political course. Follow the elections and their aftermath with RFE/RL.
"We have made it very clear that the expectations of these elections are extremely high and that they will determine that pace and intensity of our relations with Georgia."
- Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson of EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton in Brussels today at the EU Commission's midday briefing.
"Before election day, [there were violations] and probably [there will be violations] today as well, but the wisdom of the Georgian people, the big historic experience of the Georgian people helped create conditions in which we for the first time will be able to change the government through elections. Today for the first time in the Georgian history, the government will be changed through elections."
- Bidzina Ivanishvili speaking to journalists in Tbilisi after casting his ballot in the parliamentary election.
Bidzina Ivanishvili gets into a car as he leaves a polling station during the parliamentary election in Tbilisi on October 1, 2012.
12:061.10.2012
Via RFE/RL's Georgian Service: In Batumi, some people are complaining about the marking procedures for people who have already voted -- they say the ink disappears after just 2 hours. One member of the Free Georgia party says he tried to test it, and says the marking was actually unreadble by the ink reading machine after just a couple of minutes. The same problem is being reported in Kobuleti.
11:581.10.2012
UNM volunteers tell local media they're jotting down names to see how many of "our people" come vote. List includes passport #'s #gvote.
Via RFE/RL correspondent: In Kutaisi, at polling N119 (in region N59), there was a scuffle between supporters of Georgian Dream and UNM. GD supporters say UNM coordinators tried to organize carousel voting.
11:491.10.2012
Via RFE/RL's Georgian Service: Observers from Georgian Dream and UNM have a small conflict at polling station N46. Georgian Dream observers ended up leaving after they claimed there were irregularities. But, the head of the district election commission says everything is fine and there were no violations.
