Ex-PM Gakharia’s For Georgia party accuses election administration of serving “Govt interests”

The Georgian former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party on Monday accused the country’s Central Election Commission of “serving the Government’s interests” of scheduling midterm elections in three electoral precincts and not early municipal elections in Senaki municipality,Western Georgia, on October 1.

The For Georgia party member, former law enforcement official, Natia Mezvrishvili,said at a briefing that the “unlawful” decision was likely to hamper Georgia’s receiving the EU membership candidate status next year. 

Mezvrishvili noted that “despite the Georgian Dream’s another attempt to fabricate elections”, the For Georgia party continued its engagement in the ruling party proposed parliamentary format for Georgia’’s EU candidacy “as the country’s European integration is a decision of the Georgian people”. 

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association has already sued the CEC for scheduling the midterm race, requesting the Tbilisi City Court to reject the decision. 

GYLA suggested that Senaki City Assembly had not gathered for six months due to the absence of its members which was a “precondition” for scheduling early municipal elections. 

The Senaki City Assembly was one of the six city assemblies where the ruling party was unable to receive the majority in the 2021 elections.