Civil.Ge — With most of the votes already counted in Tbilisi mayoral race, Gigi Ugulava is set for a landslide re-election, winning with about 54% of votes.
His closest rival, leader of Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania, received up to 20%.
A day after the Sunday’s polls, Ugulava’s election campaign banners in the capital city were replaced with new ones reading: “Thank you Tbilisites for support.”
Ugulava, who has been Tbilisi mayor since July, 2005, garnered in Tbilisi significantly more votes, then President Saakashvili did in January 5, 2008 presidential elections. Although winning nationwide, Mikheil Saakashvili lost elections in the capital city to his main rival Levan Gachechiladze, receiving 32.5% of votes.
In proportional, party-list contest President Saakashvili’s ruling National Movement party is also set to win a landslide victory both in Tbilisi and nationwide.
With more than half of the votes for party race for Tbilisi City Council counted, the National Movement leads polls with about 50.5%, followed by Alliance for Georgia – 18.5% and Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) – 12.5%.
National Council, a coalition of Conservative Party, Party of People and ex-PM Nogaideli’s Movement for Fair Georgia, has garnered about 9% in Tbilisi. Industry Will Save Georgia is also set to clear 4% threshold required for taking proportional seats in Tbilisi City Council.
25 seats are for grab under the party-list, proportional contest in the capital’s City Council. Remaining 25 seats are contested among majoritarian candidates running in Tbilisi’s single-mandate constituencies. Official early results for majoritarian contest are not yet conclusive enough to make a precise prediction on how the seats may be distributed in the new Council. The ruling party, however, is likely to retrain the majority in Tbilisi, as well as in other 63 municipal councils throughout the country.
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