In parts of Georgia, voters went to the polls again on Sunday in the second round of the parliamentary election. There were runoff contests in 50 single-seat districts, accounting for a third of the seats in the assembly. Voting took place against a background of some minor and a few serious irregularities. The outcome of today’s vote will decide if the election winner in the first round, Georgian Dream, will get enough seats to have what’s called a constitutional majority and usher in a ban on same-sex marriage and limit the president’s powers. The number of precincts open for voting was 2,229. Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA), said that by 14:00 their observers had noticed different types of violations. The Tbilisi-based organization filed 33 complaints and 25 notices today. There is tension in the village Kizilajo in Marneuli, where the results of the first round were abolished due to a riot-like incident. Georgian Dream and National Movement candidate are competing in this region.
One of the observers reported that when a voter came to vote at precinct 50 in Kizilajo, there was a signature next to the person’s surname, but the voter was still allowed to vote. At the same precinct, the head of the local election commission reported that one of the observers wrote number 41 – Georgian Dream’s number on the voting-paper – on the ballot booth and then filmed it. This resulted in a confrontation at the precinct, and the arrival of police to defuse the situation.