Early official results of the June 15 local elections suggest that ruling Georgian Dream coalition is likely to win more than two-thirds of majority of the seats in 50-member City Council, Sakrebulo, in capital Tbilisi.

These early results as they stand for now and if confirmed by final vote tally, mean that GD will have 37 seats in Tbilisi Sakrebulo.

Sakrebulos across the country, including the largest one in Tbilisi, are elected through a mix system – part of the members are elected in majoritarian, single-mandate constituencies through first-past-the-post, winner-takes-all rule, and another part through party-list, proportional contest.

In Tbilisi’s 50-member Sakrebulo half of the seats are distributed through party-list representatives and remaining 25 seats are allocated to winners in capital city’s 25 single-mandate constituencies.

Returns from capital’s all 717 precincts show four parties are clearing 4% threshold, requiring for endorsing members in Sakrebulo through proportional system.

According to these results, GD is garnering 45.96% of votes, which is likely to be translated into 13 seats out of 25 available for party-list, proportional representation.

UNM, which has 26.13 % of votes, is set to win 7 seats under the party-list system, followed by Nino Burjanadze’s coalition – 3 seats and Alliance of Patriots of Georgia – 2 seats.

GD candidates are leading in 24 out of 25 single-mandate constituencies of the capital city.

An independent candidate, a former long-time journalist and Tbilisi preservationist activist, Aleko Elisashvili, is winning one majoritarian seat in one of the constituencies in Saburtalo district.

At least three councilors are needed to form a faction in the Tbilisi Sakrebulo.