Opposition Member Throws Paint at Georgia"s CEC Head Amid Rising Political Tensions

The elections saw nearly 20 political parties competing for seats in Georgia’s 150-member parliament. The ruling party, Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia, which has held power for 12 consecutive years, secured a victory with 54.3% of the vote, according to the CEC's official results.

Photo: Channel One Russia

David Kirtadze, an opposition member of Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC), threw black paint at the head of the commission, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, during a meeting in Tbilisi.

The incident occurred while the CEC was reviewing the final protocol of the country’s recent parliamentary elections, which were held on October 26, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media. 

As a result of the disruption, the meeting was abruptly suspended.

The elections saw nearly 20 political parties competing for seats in Georgia’s 150-member parliament. The ruling party, Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia, which has held power for 12 consecutive years, secured a victory with 54.3% of the vote, according to the CEC's official results. 

However, the elections were marred by significant opposition backlash. Several opposition parties boycotted the parliamentary sessions, while the Coalition for Change, another key opposition group, refused both to take up their parliamentary seats and accept state funding.

In the aftermath of the elections, President Salome Zorabichvili called for mass protests, urging citizens to contest the results. She also demanded new parliamentary elections to resolve the ongoing political crisis. Zourabichvili made this call during a joint press conference with the heads of parliamentary committees from eight EU countries, who had arrived in Tbilisi and stated that they did not recognize the legitimacy of the election results.