Opposition member throwing paint on CEC chair barred from election administration membership

Davit Kirtadze, the representative of the United National Movement opposition party in the Central Election Commission (CEC), has been barred from serving in the CEC for the next four years following a Tbilisi City Court decision.

The court fined Kirtadze 500 GEL after he smeared black paint on CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili during the November 16 meeting. The fine was imposed under Article 91 of Georgia’s Election Code, which penalizes individuals with 500 GEL for interfering with the functions and activities of the commission.

The ruling also renders Kirtadze ineligible for CEC membership, as per Article 10 of the Election Code, which prohibits the appointment of individuals known as administrative offenders under election legislation. The restriction applies for four years following the court decision’s legal enforcement.

This development coincides with the need to reconstitute the CEC’s party composition following the October 26 parliamentary elections, reflecting the newly elected parliament’s results.