Georgians to Vote in Last Direct Presidential Elections Today

• 10.28.2018, 10:01
•  Region

Today on October 28 Presidential elections are going on in Georgia. Today's election will be the last time residents of Georgia get to cast a ballot for president — that's if any of the 25 candidates gets an absolute majority.

Opinion polls suggest that none of the candidates will exceed the 50 percent needed for a first-round victory and that the country will have to choose between the two top candidates in a runoff that would be held no later than December 01.

Under constitutional changes that began in 2010, Georgia is transitioning to being a parliamentary country. After the upcoming president's six-year term ends, future heads of state will be chosen by delegates. The presidency's powers already have been substantially reduced, with the prime minister becoming the country's most powerful politician.

Most polls show the top three candidates as Salome Zurabishvili, Grigol Vashadze and David Bakradze. Each served a stint as Georgia's foreign minister during the presidency of now-exiled Mikheil Saakashvili.

Zurabishvili was sacked in 2005 amid disagreements with parliament. She is running as an independent but is backed the rulling Georgian Dream party funded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Saakashvili foe. Georgian Dream holds an overwhelming majority in the parliament.

Zurabishvili was born in France, she did not visit Georgia until she was in her 30s and she once served as a French diplomat.

Vashadze is backed by a coalition that includes the United National Movement that was founded by Saakashvili.

The third top candidate, Bakradze, is from the European Georgia Party, which split off from the UNM.

Some 3.5 million people are registered to vote in the election, which is being monitored by local and international groups.