Protests in Georgia: Election Commission boss attacked with color!

Protests in Georgia: Election Commission boss attacked with color!

In an explosive turmoil in Georgia, thousands of people protested against the controversial election results that the ruling party Georgian Dream confirms as the winner of the last parliamentary elections. The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on Saturday that the Russia-friendly party received 53.93 percent of the votes, while an alliance of pro-Western opposition groups was only able to achieve 37.79 percent. These results secure Georgian Dream 89 of 150 seats in parliament, which caused the opposition to reject the move into the parliament and to speak of fake results.

The tensions escalated during a heated meeting of the election commission when the opposition representative Davit Kirtadze sprayed CEC chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili with black color. Kirtadze called that the Commission Director Georgia will steer towards Russia and not to the European Union. As a result, the Ministry of the Interior has initiated a criminal investigation against Kirtadze. In addition, three demonstrators were arrested in protests before the headquarters of the election commission.

Protests and political tensions

The protests that have been taking place since the election on October 26th have drawn tens of thousands to the streets. On Friday evening there were massive student protests at universities in major cities, including Tbilisi State University, which lasted until after midnight. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and President Salome Zourabishvili are increasingly at loggerheads, with the president calling the election illegitimate and accusing Russia of interference. The EU and US are calling for an investigation into the election for “irregularities”, while Russia rejects any interference.

Kobakhidze, on the other hand, insists that the elections were fair and free and announced that the parliament would meet within ten days of the announcement of the results. Last week the prime minister threatened to ban all important opposition parties. Before the elections, Brussels warned that the election result could be decisive for Georgia's chances of joining the EU. Georgia has been a candidate for the EU since last year, but internal power struggles have stalled the process.