Party Supporters Clash at Batumi Polls

Opposing parties have clashed this morning at polling station number 29 in Batumi. Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, supporting self-proclaimed independent presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili and members of the United Opposition, supporting Grigol Vashadze of the United National Movement, quarreled on the morning of presidential runoff elections.

Unverified reports claim that Georgian Dream election coordinators were holding voter registers, which is against the law - only poll workers and election committee officials are allowed to access to the voter registers. Opposition supporters approached the coordinators and took the registers from their hands, said National Movement member Gia Khalvashi, to save as evidence of Georgian Dream election violations. 

"This is not a violation. It was a list of our supporters. We want to get them back in order to show them to journalists to prove that nothing illegal has happened," said Georgian Dream representative Vladimer Mgaloblishvili.

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: Georgia Travel