Saakashvili now talks about elections: Proportional seems to be won by Georgian Dream, Majoritarian won by UNM. #gvote #tbilisi #caucasus
— Mirian Jugheli (@MirianJugheli) October 1, 2012
Strange enough, but the complicated system of 1/2 winner-takes-all and 1/2 party list may allow both sides to claim victory today #gvote.
— Pawel Lickiewicz (@pawelLickiewicz) October 1, 2012
Saakashvili concedes opposition won national popular vote but says his party won majority of local districts. #Georgia
— Jackson Diehl (@JacksonDiehl) October 1, 2012
Georgia's election rules are complicated. Here is a good explainer from Geowel, a research firm. An exerpt:fantastic exegesis on the problems of the georgian electoral system:geowel.org/index.php?arti… #gvote
— William Dunbar (@undrawbill) September 30, 2012
This system can give the largest party a ‘majoritarin advantage’. In the 2008 Georgian Parliamentary election, it helped United National Movement (UNM) to win 71 out of 75 majoritarian seats (there were two more majoritarian seats in 2008). As a result, with 59% of the national vote they got 79% of the seats in parliament. The opposition, by comparison, got 41% of the vote and only got 21% of the seats.
Young Georgian Dream supporter told me tonight's rally in Freedom Square reminded her of 2003 Rose Revolution -- which she supported. #gvote
— Jamie Kirchick (@jkirchick) October 1, 2012
Tense crowd gathering and drinking in front of UNM's office. #gvote twitter.com/Veribatim/stat…
— Katrina Rice (@Veribatim) October 1, 2012
Georgian observers report special unit troops are mobilized outside of several polling stations. the most important time begins now. #gvote
— Medea Turashvili (@Medea4Peace) October 1, 2012
Almost an hour and a half more to go before the CEC releases the election results to the public.
WATCH: RFE/RL's Georgian Service video from Freedom Square in Tbilisi where thousands of opposition supporters gathered.
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