Violence mars voting in Georgia’s pivotal election – POLITICO

This parliamentary election is broadly considered a defining level for the nation’s worldwide standing — it might decide whether or not Georgia tilts towards the EU or Moscow.

Opposition politician Ana Natsvlishvili from the Sturdy Georgia celebration mentioned legislation enforcement authorities had been idle, although “organized legal gangs … try to undermine the voting course of with aggression and intimidation.”

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili urged the Inside Ministry to take away criminals from polling locations.

The ruling Georgian Dream celebration’s parliamentary chief, Mamuka Mdinaradze, speculated that an opposition TV channel is perhaps “staging particular operations” to create the impression of chaos.

A polling station in Marneuli, a city in southern Georgia, was closed down after a video circulated on-line displaying a person, recognized as a ruling celebration consultant, stuffing a poll field with dozens of ballots. An investigation was launched into potential “election fraud,” and Georgia’s Central Election Committee mentioned the ballots forged at that polling station might be invalidated.

Georgia’s Central Election Fee reported voter turnout at 41.62 p.c as of three p.m. Tbilisi time.