Georgia to choose president at early elections

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Today, on January 5, early presidential election and a plebiscite are held in Georgia, a REGNUM correspondent informs. Polling stations opened at 07:00 a.m. The voting is to start at 08:00 a.m. and to finish at 08:00 p.m. Preliminary results of the election and the plebiscite will be announced 24 h after the voting ends – on January 6 between 08:00 p.m. and 09:00 p.m. and official results within four days.

Seven people are running for the Georgian presidency. They are candidate from the united opposition Levan Gachechiladze, businessman Arkady (Badri) Patarkatsishvili, leader of the New Rights Party David Gamkrelidze, leader of the Labor Party Shalva Natelashvili, leader of the United National Movement Party Mikhail Saakashvili, leader of the Party of Future Giorgi Maisashvili and leader of Imedi Party Irina Sarishvili.

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), the total number of eligible voters is 3,352,448 people. The number includes 27,210 Georgian citizens living abroad and registered at consulates.

3,399 polling stations in 86 constituencies will be opened in Georgia and 43 polling stations abroad (including three ones for the Georgian peacekeepers in Iraq and Kosovo). Polling stations will be open in 33 countries. This, in particular, includes Greece (four polling stations), Turkey (three polling stations), Ukraine (three polling stations), the USA (two polling stations), Russia (two polling stations), by one in Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Uzbekistan, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden and Estonia. Special polling stations will function in the Georgian territory for prisoners and for servicemen in the places of their service. As for Georgian citizens living in the conflict zones, according to the CEC, they can vote at polling stations in Kodori Gorge and in the section of Tskhinvali area controlled by Georgia.

The voters will be given three voting ballots – a ballot to vote at the presidential election and two plebiscite ballots – on Georgia entering NATO and on setting a date of the parliamentary elections (in spring, as it was envisaged by the Georgian constitution before amendments in 2006, upon which the opposition insists) or in fall of 2008 in accordance with the current constitution.