Georgian CEC head doused with black paint while approving election results
Kyiv • UNN
At a session of the Georgian Central Election Commission, an opposition representative threw black paint on the chairman after the microphone was cut off. Despite the incident, the commission approved the election results, with Georgian Dream receiving 54% of the vote.
Georgian CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili was doused with black paint during the commission's meeting, which approved the results of the parliamentary elections in the country, writes UNN with reference to "Real Time".
Details
There was reportedly a conflict between the head of Georgia's CEC and David Kirtadze of the opposition Unity-National Movement party. During Kirtadze's speech, Kalandarishvili cut off his microphone after the end of the regulated time. In response, the representative of the opposition party splashed a black liquid, presumably paint, at the head of the CEC.
"You don't hear the Georgian people, you don't hear the protesting students. You have taken away the future of Georgia, our future, and you are pushing our country towards russia. I can't even call you chairman, you are a 'dot ru'. You are a black spot," Kirtadze said.
The session was stopped, and after a pause, the CEC head appeared with an eye patch.
As a result, Georgia's CEC reportedly officially approved the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 26. According to the country's CEC, the ruling Georgian Dream party won almost 54 percent of the vote, thus securing 89 seats out of 150 in parliament.
"Coalition for Change" gets 19 parliamentary mandates, ‘United National Movement’ - 16, ‘Strong Georgia’ - 14, ‘For Georgia’ - 12 parliamentary mandates.
Dissenters with the election results gathered near the CEC building in Georgia. After the end of the session of the commission, the protesters began to swing the fence. Police officers tried to force the protesters off the road and onto the sidewalk; detentions and clashes broke out.
Supplement
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and opposition parties have not recognized the results of the country's parliamentary elections, amid hundreds of irregularities detected by observers and questions about the secrecy of the vote. Georgia's Central Election Commission and the ruling Georgian Dream party deny any fraud.
Analysts who have analyzed data from polling stations point to anomalies in the distribution of votes, which may indicate fraud: ballot stuffing, voter fraud or bribery in rural areas. Observers also noted similar irregularities in the Georgian elections.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in its report on the last elections in Georgia recorded "cases of vote buying, a widespread atmosphere of pressure and party-organized intimidation before and during the elections, especially in rural areas".
The non-profit observation organization "Fair Elections" (ISFED) recorded cases of drop-offs, bribery and "merry-go-rounds" among other violations.
