Chairperson of the Central Election Commission [CEC] presented the initial preliminary election results of the municipal elections.

"The Election Administration has successfully concluded another important election day. During the Municipal Elections, electronic voting devices were used on a large scale for the first time, marking another accomplished stage in the modernization of elections.

Although the Municipal Elections are among the most complex processes from an administrative standpoint, they were conducted in a calm, orderly, and free environment. The fact that the process was carried out actually without irregularities once again demonstrates that the Election Administration plans and organizes elections in full compliance with high international standards.

Voters played a key role in the successful conduct of the process by casting their votes smoothly and easily through the use of modern technologies. I would like to thank them for their civic responsibility and active participation, which represent one of the main achievements and values of this process.

I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to the international vendor company Smartmatic, whose cooperation greatly contributes to the ongoing modernization of the election process.

I would like also to extend my sincere gratitude to the U.S. based company Pro V&V, which for the second time has conducted a compliance audit of the election technologies on a professional level, leaving no questions regarding their use in the electoral process.

I express my appreciation to local and international observer organizations, electoral subjects, and the media, whose active engagement, observation, and reporting ensured public awareness and the highest level of transparency throughout the process.

Most importantly, I extend sincere gratitude to the election officials at both precinct and district levels for their professionalism and dedication in administering the voting process smoothly. Their commitment, patience, professionalism and responsibility form the solid foundation on which today’s success stands.

The joint efforts of all stakeholders once again proved that elections are not merely an administrative procedure but, above all, a common cause.

It is noteworthy that the large-scale use of electronic technologies allows us to present the preliminary election results within just 1 hour and 25 minutes after the closing of polls. It should also be emphasized that the work of the polling stations is not yet complete. In addition to the machine count, the commissions will manually recount the results to compile the final summary protocols. This process is currently underway at polling stations. Once the precinct summary protocols are finalized - both from modernized and traditional polling stations - they will promptly be submitted to the CEC, uploaded to the official website results.cec.gov.ge, and made publicly accessible to everyone interested", - said Giorgi Kalandarishvili.