Our political force, which holds the third-largest number of votes in the Electoral College after Georgian Dream and the United National Movement, will categorically abstain from participating in the illegitimate process of electing the president, – the leader of the ‘Gakharia for Georgia’ party, Giorgi Gakharia, announced.
He further urged all opposition parties and their representatives in local councils to refrain from taking part “in this unconstitutional process.”
He added that to resolve the ongoing crisis, it is imperative that this Parliament, the president it elects, and the government it establishes are denied both legitimacy and recognition.
“Yesterday marked the convening of the first unlawful session of Parliament, conducted entirely outside the framework of Georgia’s Constitution.
“Today, this Parliament stands devoid of legitimacy—neither recognized by the Georgian people, the international community, nor by observation missions. Consequently, the opposition, as well as representatives of the accredited diplomatic corps in Georgia, abstained from participation in the session.
“Rather than addressing the pressing questions surrounding the legitimacy of the elections, such as publishing the voter lists of participating citizens, Georgian Dream has once again flagrantly violated the Constitution of Georgia.
“Specifically, while the legality of the parliamentary elections remains under dispute in the Constitutional Court, Georgian Dream proceeded to convene a parliamentary session in blatant defiance of the law. As a result, the Speaker of Parliament has been unlawfully elected, and the government will likewise be appointed without legal or constitutional standing.
“In yet another breach of electoral norms, this illegitimate Parliament has arbitrarily scheduled the presidential election for December 14 and the inauguration for December 29, disregarding established electoral deadlines.
“As the first parliamentary session was convened without international legitimacy or the presence of the diplomatic corps, the upcoming presidential inauguration, scheduled for December 29, should also not be attended by representatives of the democratic world.
“Failure to abstain from attending would provide Ivanishvili with an opportunity to exploit such participation as a means to confer legitimacy and recognition on the rigged elections, the unlawful Parliament, the illegitimate government, and the illegally elected president.
“A president elected unilaterally and in violation of the Constitution cannot and must not be recognized by the Georgian people or the international community. Such an act constitutes a deliberate attempt to consolidate and institutionalize an authoritarian regime.
“In this context, our political force, which holds the third-largest number of votes in the Electoral College after Georgian Dream and the United National Movement, will categorically abstain from participating in the illegitimate process of electing the president.
“We urge all opposition parties and their representatives in local councils to refrain from taking part in this unconstitutional process. We are at a critical juncture—the first phase of a deepening crisis. Our foremost responsibility is to ensure that the nation does not plunge into further, more severe stages of instability, which would inflict even greater harm on the state and its citizens.
“To resolve the ongoing crisis, it is imperative that this Parliament, the president it elects, and the government it establishes are denied both legitimacy and recognition. This is the only viable and expedient path to restoring the country to constitutional order and normalcy,” – he stated.
For the record, Presidential elections in Georgia will be held on December 14. The date of the election of the president and the draft of the relevant resolution, which should be presented at the session, were proposed by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Bureau, Shalva Papuashvili.
Papuashvili stated that the inauguration of the President will take place on December 29.
Salome Zurabishvili is the last president to be directly elected by the population. This will be the first time that a president will be elected not by direct popular vote, but by an electoral college. The electoral college will consist of 300 members, including all members of the Parliament of Georgia and the supreme representative bodies of the autonomous republics of Abkhazia and Adjara. Other members of the electoral college will be nominated by the relevant political parties from among the representative bodies of local self-government in accordance with the quotas determined by the CEC on the basis of the organic law.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related story: Presidential elections to be held on December 14
