PM Irakli Garibashvili called on political parties and their supporters “to refrain from any kind of provocation.”

In remarks with journalists after casting ballot in Sunday's local elections, Garibashvili said: I also want to call on the law enforcement agencies to eradicate promptly and efficiently any provocation or attempt to thwart [voting].”

Central Election Commission spokesperson, Eka Azarashvili, said at a news conference at 11am that electoral process is proceeding “calmly”, although there was an incident at a polling station No. 32 of the Zugdidi municipality.

Voting process was disrupted at a polling station No.32 of the Zugdidi municipality in the village of Anaklia, Samegrelo region, after a ballot box and some election documents were destroyed by few local residents, who were demanding finding out whereabouts of their relative, missing since January, 2012. Mother of missing Gogita Abuladze was shown on TV tearing election papers inside the precinct and telling journalists that nothing is being done to solve the case of her son.

1,140 voters are registered at the polling station No.32 of the Zugdidi municipality.

Voting process was launched at polling station No. 16 in the village of Doshake of Martvili municipality in Samegrelo region from where ballot papers were snatched by armed masked men overnight on Sunday.

CEC spokesperson, as well as the Interior Ministry said that ballot papers were found undamaged and sealed about 200 meters from the polling station and it was decided by the local election administration to open the polling station.

Commenting on these incidents, PM Garibashvili said: “There were minor shortcomings, but I think that those shortcomings will be rectified timely. I know that the Central Election Commission, as well as the law enforcement agencies work very efficiently.”
 
Speaking with journalists after casting ballot, PM Garibashvili also said that he voted for “Georgia’s future, development, progress and stability.”

Asked if he thinks that races may go into second round, PM responded: “Let’s wait. I think that our political force is leading in all the cities, districts and villages and I think there will be no need for second round. But it won’t be a tragedy if there are second rounds; it shows that we are democratic state.”

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), an election monitoring group with up to 1,300 observers throughout the country, said that before noon on Sunday it filed 9 complaints over procedural violations. ISFED said that those violations included one case of campaign at a polling station, three cases of presence of unauthorized persons at polling stations and in one case five ballots cast at a polling station in the Zugdidi municipality was annulled because of a procedural violation.