The opposition claims the elections were “stolen”. The Georgian government has now announced that it will suspend accession negotiations with the EU. Violent mass protests are the result. The political crisis worsened further on Saturday. Pro-European President Salome Zurabichvili on Saturday described the government as “illegitimate” and said she would remain in post despite her term ending in December.
Zurabichvili said in a speech that parliament has no right to choose her successor when her term ends in December. So she remains in office. The president and other government critics have described as fraudulent the results of late October’s parliamentary elections, in which the Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party won nearly 54 percent of the vote. Zurabichvili emphasized on Saturday that there is no legitimate parliament, “and therefore an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president.” Their mandate remains in force until a legally elected parliament is formed.
Prime Minister: Won’t allow revolution
Meanwhile, pro-Russian Prime Minister Iraqi Kobachidze said Georgia would not allow a revolution like the one Ukraine experienced in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan protests. At that moment, President Viktor Yanukovych, who was protected by the Kremlin, was overthrown. According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, 107 people have been arrested in the capital Tbilisi since Saturday evening, when pro-EU demonstrators set up barricades along the central Rustaveli Avenue and threw fireworks at riot police. They dispersed them with water cannons and tear gas.
On Saturday evening, thousands of demonstrators gathered again in Tbilisi. They waved Georgian and EU flags in front of the parliament. “My future depends on what Georgia does now,” 22-year-old Anna Kaulashvili told AFP. The police brought together numerous forces.
A new voting procedure is being used for the first time
For the first time, the successor to government-critical President Zurabishvili will no longer be elected directly by the people, but by a 300-member electoral assembly, consisting of 150 parliamentarians and local and regional representatives. The new electoral procedure was adopted in 2017 as part of a constitutional reform promoted by the Georgian Dream party.
Based on the procedure, it is clear that the new head of state will follow the line of Prime Minister Kobachidze’s party. According to parliament, the new head of state will take office on December 29 and his term of office will last five years.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
