A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia, Oct. 21, 2017. Georgia kicked off its local elections across the country on Saturday, voting for 2,058 members of 64 city councils and 64 municipal mayors. (Xinhua/Li Ming)
TBILISI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Georgia kicked off local elections across the country on Saturday, voting for 64 mayors as well as more than 2,000 council members for 64 municipal cities.
According to the country's Central Election Commission (CEC), the polling stations opened early in the morning for about 3.44 million eligible voters.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Saturday called upon all voters to go to polling stations to cast their ballots, as it is important for the development of the country, as well as for building a better future of Georgia.
After casting his vote at the polling booth with his family, Kvirikashvili said, "I voted for such Tbilisi, a place where urban transport is regulated, many green zones are arranged for our citizens, education system is regulated, economy is dynamic and entrepreneurs are happy to start a business and a place which is full of life."
A total of 22 political parties, five election blocs and an initiative group are registered for the local elections, said the CEC on its website, adding that 375 candidates will run for municipal mayors, and some 4,700 candidates will compete for city council members.
The vote counting will begin immediately after the polling stations are closed Saturday evening.
To win the mayoral elections, candidates must clear a 50 percent threshold, otherwise, a second round of voting will be held, according to the election code of Georgia.
