MP by-elections are ongoing in Georgia’s three single mandate constituencies – Tbilisi’s Nadzaladevi district and in Imereti region’s Bagdati and Samtredia constituencies, on Saturday to fill three vacant majoritarian MP seats.

Voter turnout was 22.8% in Nadzaladevi constituency as of 5pm local time, three hours before the polling stations are scheduled to close; 36.2% of voters turned out at polling stations in Samtredia as of 5pm and 41.8% in Bagdati, according to the Central Election Commission.

• MP By-Elections in Three Constituencies

Election observer group, International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), reported that as of 4pm local time, by-elections in all three constituencies were underway in overall in an organized manner.

ISFED, however, also reported “some problems” at various polling stations. It reported two cases of presence of unauthorized persons at two polling stations in Bagdati constituency, who were acting as observers, but had no right be present there because they were members of the local town council. It also reported violations in respect to mobile ballot box at one of the polling stations in Samtredia, which led to invalidating votes cast in that mobile ballot box.

Another observer group, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association reported that several journalists were verbally insulted at a polling station number 24 in Tbilisi’s Nadzaladevi constituency.