Georgian President Salome Zurabišvili described the election of a new head of state, which will take place on Saturday, as a “mockery”, Radio Sloboda (RFE/RL) station reported on Friday, quoted by TASR.
In the upcoming elections, the president will not be elected by the electorate, but for the first time ever by the electorate, which has 300 members, including 150 members of the Georgian parliament, members of the supreme councils of Adjara and the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic in exile.
In addition to them, the electorate will also include representatives of regional self-governments, which, according to analysts, will result in strengthening the power of the governing party Georgian Dream. The participation of voters representing the opposition is questionable, as its members are boycotting the work of the parliament. If a second round of the presidential election is necessary, it will take place on Saturday.
Georgian Dream nominates Mikhail Kavelashvili for president
As its presidential candidate, Georgian Dream nominated a former football representative and member of parliament for the pro-government People’s Power party Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was one of the authors of the law on foreign influence. The adoption of this law caused violent protests in the country and deterioration of Georgia’s relations with the West.
A part of Georgian society criticizes Kavelashvili’s candidacy also because he does not have a higher education, Deutsche Welle reported.
In this context, political scientist Gela Vasadze noted that Kavelashvili will not be an “elected but appointed president”. The political scientist added that in the current conditions it is not possible to hold fair elections in Georgia.
President Zurabišviliová repeated on Friday that she is “not going anywhere”. “I am here and I will be here because this country needs a legitimate institution right now,” she explained, according to RFE/RL.
According to the president, the only way out of the current crisis in Georgia is new parliamentary elections. She reiterated that her mandate will continue until a new president is elected by the parliament, which will emerge from new elections.
Zurabishviliova – like the opposition – does not recognize the result of the parliamentary elections that took place in Georgia at the end of October, and the Georgian Dream party was declared the winner. Zurabišviliová also appealed to the Constitutional Court in this matter. However, he rejected her application.
After veteran Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze announced that his government was postponing accession negotiations with the EU until 2028, a new wave of anti-government protests broke out in Georgia.
The gatherings of opponents of the government have been going on for more than two weeks. Several hundred people, including opposition politicians, were detained during them. After being released, some of the detainees reported that they had been subjected to police violence.
