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SUBJECT Georgian presidential elections: First round of presidential election of Georgia concludes with no winner
DATE 2018-11-05
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On October 28th, presidential elections were held in Georgia, marking the country’s seventh presidential elections since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

 

A number of candidates with background in foreign relations ran for the 2018 Georgian presidential elections.

 

According to Central Election Commission of Georgia, independent candidate Salome Zurabishvili earned 38.63 percent of the vote, with Grigol Vashadze of the United National Movement (UNM) Party securing 37.74 percent of votes.

 

The presidential candidate with the third most support was Davit Bakradze of Movement for Liberty – European Georgia Party who received 10.97 percent of the vote. Bakradze previously, a physicist, formerly served as the Speaker of the Parliament, and as the Foreign Minister. Shalva Natelashvili, leader of the Labor Party, came in fourth with 3.74 percent.

 

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) Party supported independent candidate Salome Zurabishvili. French-born diplomat Zurabishvili was previously French ambassador and the Foreign Minister of Georgia.

 

Zurabishvili made statements about the 2008 war with Russia indicating that Georgia attacked its own population in South Ossetia and bombed Tskhinvali. She also accused the former President Mikheil Saakashvili for provoking Russia. Zurabishvili said as president she would lobby the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to full integration of Georgia.

 

The UNM’s Vashadze also served as a career diplomat and as a former Foreign Minister of the country.

 

As a result of the first round vote, the two frontrunners will face a second round run-off election, which will take place no later than December 2nd.

 

BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)