Georgian Opposition Protests Outside Parliament Ahead of Presidential Vote

Crowds of opposition representatives and their supporters gathered near the building of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi to protest the election of the president of the country.

Protesters believe that the parliamentary elections on October 26 were rigged, the parliament of the new convocation is not legitimate, therefore the legislature cannot elect a legitimate president, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

Additional police forces have been deployed near the Parliament"s building. The Georgian Interior Ministry brought to the Freedom Square special purpose equipment: water cannons, acoustic cannons, buses to carry police personnel. There are no clashes between the police and protesters.

Georgia is holding the presidential election on Saturday. The country"s new president will for the first time be elected by an electoral college and not through a popular vote.

Mikhail Kavelashvili, a former footballer and an ex-parliament member, is the only presidential candidate backed by the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party. The opposition has not recognized the results of the parliamentary vote held on October 26.

It has also boycotted the meetings of the legislative body and it has not put forward any candidates. Members of the parliament from the opposition do not plan to participate in the voting either.

The electoral college consists of 300 members, including 150 members of the Georgian Parliament, 21 and 20 representatives of the Supreme Councils of Adjara and Abkhazia, respectively, as well as deputies from local authorities. The voting will be held by the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia in the Parliament building. The presidential election in the country has no longer been direct since constitutional changes were enforced in 2018.

The inauguration ceremony for the new president of Georgia who will be elected for a five-year period, is set for December 29.